


A Pirate's Life

by 88dragons, lost_kitty



Category: Actor RPF, Hobbit AU - Fandom, The Hobbit RPF
Genre: A pirate ship, AU, Anal Sex, At least that is what I am aiming for, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, High Seas Adventure, It will be a slow build, Just between Rich and Lee, M/M, Oral Sex, Pirate AU, Steampunkish, a lot of other stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-13
Updated: 2015-04-17
Packaged: 2017-12-29 07:51:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 32,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1002858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/88dragons/pseuds/88dragons, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_kitty/pseuds/lost_kitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Richard is the Captain of a ship and all the guys who played the other dwarves are his crew, along with Martin.  He is asked to rescue Lee from a terrible fate by someone close to him.  </p><p>And while in my other fic, Calpernia will make an appearance once in a while, she won't in this fic.  Just the first few chapters.  Just so you know.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Damsel

The Hidden Cove was a tavern like no other.

For one thing, it also served as a dance hall. It was the largest building in the town, and while most of the time it catered to the drunk and disorderly dock workers and sailors (and the occasional pirates) that found port here, on a few special occasions it served as a place where the town gathered for community dances and the like. But that was only a few times a year. All the other days of the year, it was ale, brawls, and music.

The stage was a place where anyone with any kind of talent could perform on, if the patrons agreed that it was worth watching. Unwanted performers were seen off the stage in a chorus of boos, curses, and typically an ale mug or two. Some were even bad enough to have weapons shook at them.

That was not the case, however, for Calpernia. She had been dancing and singing on the stage at the Hidden Cove for more than two months now, and not been booed once, nor had anything unsavory thrown at her. From the second she had stepped onto the stage 8 weeks earlier, the hard working men of the sea had been enchanted by her. With her sultry voice and the graceful way she moved, it was no wonder they took a liking to her. In fact, she was so popular, that the tavern owner had made her a regular performing 5 nights a week.

And on those five nights, the tavern was not only quiet, but very few brawls broke out, mugs broken, or men killed, and that made the tavern master very happy.

Calpernia now sat in her private dressing room, leaning back in her chair with her legs crossed, a bare foot tapping the air, twirling her light brown hair around a finger absently as she listened to the cheers that were still going on now nearly three minutes after her latest performance. A smile stretched across her face; not because of the applause and admiration of her fan. No, she was used to that. 

Calpernia was laughing because of what they didn’t know. They saw her, thought she was beautiful and graceful. Thought that they might have a chance with her, could maybe even touch her if they could get close enough, but what they didn’t know was that Calpernia was not who she claimed to be.

Calpernia wasn’t even a real woman. Calpernia was a man.

 

And right now that man, dressed in a gown custom made from expensive material, a wig so well made one could not tell if it was real or not, with makeup applied perfectly, was laughing his ass off.

Lee jumped up from the chair and spun around the room, laughing like a fool. He had everyone duped. Oh sure, there would be hell to pay if anyone found out. A man dressing like a woman; he would be flogged, set on fire, and then hung just to make sure he was completely dead, but he was sure no one would ever find out. He never let anyone near him. Never let anyone get close enough, and always made sure that certain qualities never shown through and those other, more physical traits, were properly taken care of and kept accurately hidden. 

But that was not the only care he had. His father had been furious with him when he had found out what his son had been doing. In the town where they were from, Lee’s father was a very prominent man with a lot of power, money, and influence. Lee would sneak out all night; his father thinking that he was doing what most men his age would be doing: drinking, carousing, and being enticed by women. Lee hadn’t been, however. 

Lee had gone to great lengths to perfect his Calpernia persona. He had found people who could make him the necessary prosthetics to pull off being a woman: fake hips, fake breasts, wigs, dresses, and shoes. All of this had to be fitted and made special just for him, but when given enough money, no one asked any questions or voiced opinions.

Lee had even found a few women to guide him in not only putting on makeup and doing his hair, but how to move and act like a female convincingly. Granted, they were ladies of the night, but he paid them for their time and they didn’t have to worry about standing on the streets or getting beat up.

Lee’s father had disowned him of course, as soon as he had found out. And his finding out had been the worst luck imaginable.

There had been a rather brutish man who had taken a rather zealous liking to Calpernia. A large, hairy, disgusting brute that hovered as near to the stage as he could get, and then would try to follow her to her dressing room. He even took to waiting outside the back door of the tavern. One night, Lee had barely managed to escape the man’s beefy hands, which enraged the slug. 

Lee usually left the tavern as Calpernia, so not to raise suspicion and then changed inside an abandoned building a few blocks down. But with lover boy so close on his heels, he hadn’t had the opportunity to sneak into the building. His only course had been to go home, losing the obsessed man in the twists do alleyways along the way. When Lee had climbed up to his room, he had managed to break a window thus waking up his father.

When his father had entered his room, gun in hand, thinking his son was in danger, how shocked he was to find said son half in the window, half out, wearing a dress, makeup, and a wig of light brown hair that fell just past his shoulders. To say his father was furious once his mind wrapped around what he was actually seeing was an understatement. Lee had thought for a second that his father was going to shoot him with the pistol that he held clenched in his shaking hand, and had considered throwing himself back out the window, risking bodily harm, just to avoid being shot. 

Lee’s mother had swept in, taken everything in, and begged her husband not to shoot their eldest child. Lee’s father had then told him to get out and to never come back. That he was no longer part of the family, and that he was disgrace and an embarrassment to the family name and unworthy to lay claim to it. 

Lee, in spite of his mother’s tears, had packed up and left that night.

Now he was several hundred miles away, doing what he loved to do. Well, at least one of the things he liked to do. The other had been just as elusive to him while he had been at his home with his parents. He loved to cook and to bake and he was damn good at it. But his father had insisted that it was woman’s work, servant’s work, and Lee was not allowed in the kitchen.

But while he loved to cook, that line of work was never easy to find. So, he made his way with the money he made performing as Calpernia. And he was happy. 

A knock at his dressing room door, caused Lee to still immediately. He ran his hands over his dress while checking himself in the mirror just to make sure everything was in place. Satisfied, he strode to the door. 

“Yes? Who is it?” His voice, even disguised was still a little deep for a woman, but no one seemed to notice or care.

“Um, flower delivery for you, Miss Addams.” The voice was not a familiar one and sounded like it belonged to a young man. Flowers were often delivered after a performance from various sources, so Lee thought nothing of it as he opened the door.

Standing there were two men. One was the speaker, a young man with cropped reddish blonde hair and an open smiling face. In his arms were a dozen red roses. Roses were rare and expensive and Lee loved them. 

The other man was older, with graying hair shaved close to his head. He had a mischievous air about him, but stood stoically in the doorway, his hands behind his back. Both were dressed nicely, but it was obvious they were sailors.

“Thank you, gentlemen, for the flowers. Might I ask who they are from?”

“Oh, from our boss,” the older man answered, nodding his head. “He saw your performance and was simply taken by you.”

“Oh! How wonderful.” Lee took the flowers that were set into his arms. Their scent wafted up to him and he closed his eyes, enjoying the scent as it seemed to float around him. “Tell your boss I appreciate them. They are lovely.”

“You can tell him yourself,” the older man stated. He stepped forward as the younger man stepped back out of the way, still smiling.

“What?” Lee, confused by what he was not sure he had even heard correctly, said with a the voice very un-Calpernia-like.

“Sorry about this, love, but orders are orders.”

The man was quick. He grabbed Lee’s arm, and shoved him into the room, his fingers digging into Lee’s flesh very painfully. Lee, dropping the roses with much regret to the ground, swung, aiming for the man’s jaw, but missing when he ducked in anticipation. The momentum jerked Lee forward, giving the man the means to step behind him, and place a cloth over his face. There was a strange scent on the plain white cloth. Lee struggled but was held tight, and whatever was on the cloth was making him light headed.

The last thing Lee heard as he was guided gently to the floor was the older man telling the younger one that they had to hurry. Lee stared at the lamplight dancing on the ceiling as his vision began to blur more and more and his eyelids were refusing to stay open. Finally, unable to fight it any more, he closed his eyes and passed out.


	2. Distress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up on a pirate ship, Calpernia (Lee) demands to know why she (he) has been kidnapped.

Lee was rocking. How he did not know, but it felt as if he was rocking weightless in the air and there was a soothing sound drifting around him. He smiled, stretching, enjoying the sensation that he was experiencing. A part of his consciousness was yelling at him to wake up, that he was only dreaming, but he ignored it, not caring if he was awake or not.

“How much of that stuff did you give her, Jimmy?” A gruff voice. Wait! Where had that come from?

Lee opened his eyes and at first he could make nothing out. His vision was blurry and there was a horrible taste in his mouth as if he had drunk some kind of chemical. His mouth was so dry, his lips were stuck together, and when he tried to open his mouth, they pulled painfully apart. 

“Water,” Lee tried to ask, but nothing would come out of his parched throat and the effort made him start coughing. He rolled to his side and coughed, his stomach lurching. When the fit passed, he took several attempts at swallowing, but there was nothing to swallow. “Water,” he finally managed to croak out before another fit of coughing over took him.

“Oh, here ya go,” another voice said. This one was the voice of an elder. “Here ya go, lass. Drink it slowly.”

Lee was gently turned over and helped into a sitting position. A goblet of water was placed in his hand and though he wanted to swallow it down in one gulp, he did as he was told and drank it slowly. It was cool and refreshing. Not only did it help wash most of the terrible taste away and moisten his throat, but it magically helped clear his head, if only a little.

_Lass?_ Wait! Oh…

And then he began remembering everything. His performance. Twirling around in his dressing room. The knock on the door. The two men on the other side. The roses. The cloth being held to his mouth. No, to Calpernia’s mouth. 

Lee could very well see that he was still in the gown from the night before. Still sipping the water, he reached up casually as if checking to make sure his hair was not too out of place as a lady should and would, but really was checking to make sure the wig was still in place. He sighed inwardly when he found that it was. Eyes still fixed on his lap, afraid to look up, Lee was able to focus and discover something.

That weightless feeling he had been experiencing in waking had actually been the rocking of a ship. And it was not sitting in the dock if the movement that was causing his stomach to flip over was any indication. He had been kidnapped and taken out to sea!

Lee looked up to find three sets of eyes on him. One was the older man from last night, the one that assaulted him and drugged him with whatever had been on that rag that had been forced over Lee’s mouth and nose. Lee sat up straight, cast a glare at the man as a proper lady should, and then quickly assessed the other two men in the room before fixing his eyes on a spot on the wall, all while airing an aura of displeasure.

One man was tall with thick arms he had crossed over his chest. His graying hair was also shaved close. He wore boots and a sword was strapped to his hip. His eyes were stern. The one who had given Lee the glass of water was a chubby but solid looking older gentleman with hair that was stark white and a long beard of the same color. He had kind eyes and a large nose with glasses perched on the bridge.

“What is the meaning of this?” Calpernia’s tone was one of discontent. “How dare you kidnap me? Why I am on this vessel?”

“Now listen, lass. We mean you no harm.” The elder was stating as he was handling Calpernia the glass again, the water having been replenished. 

“No harm!” Calpernia flared, pointing at the one apparently called Jimmy. “That brute of a man attacked me, _molested_ me, and then drugged me. How is that _not_ meaning me any harm?”

“Hey! I was just following orders, like I said. How else was I supposed to do that?” Lee’s assailant was looking at her with a scowl on his face. It seemed kind of out of place there. “Ya weren’t going to just come with us if we had asked ya to, now were ya?”

“Of course not!” Calpernia tossed the glass of water across the room and it shattered against the wall, water, and shards of glass splattering all over the place. Lee really regretted doing that; he was still rather thirsty.

“Now, listen here, woman,” the gruff looking man said. He took a step closer, glaring menacingly at Calpernia and his arms still in place across his chest. “No more of that, ya hear?”

“Back off, Graham. The young woman is scared enough,” the elder man said. “And you, Jimmy, should apologize. I am sure you were a bit more heavy handed than was required of you.”

“But –” The one called Jimmy began to protest, but one look from the elder man and he sighed heavily before bowing his head. “I am sorry, ma’am. I meant you no harm and no disrespect. Me and Adam were just following orders is all.”

“Good,” the elder man said with a nod. He turned his attention back to Calpernia. “I am Ken. I am going to send something to eat for you and then you need to get some rest.”

“But I want to know why I am here,” Calpernia protested, though she had calmed quite considerably. 

“The Captain will explain it all in good time. For now, I suggest you take it easy.” Ken patted her hand as he stood slowly to his feet. “Not as young as I used to be. Come on, lads. Let the lady get rest.”

Once they were gone (and Lee did not miss the sound of the door being locked) he looked about the room he found himself in. It was a rather nice room as far as rooms on board a ship went, which he had very little knowledge of. The bed was large and comfortable, draped in such finery he had not seen since his father’s house. Sheets a deep blue made of fine silk and a coverlet that was velvety soft to the touch. Pillows filled with down and a mattress that was firm and restful. A large curtain hung suspended from the ceiling and could be pulled along a rod set hanging from the ceiling to conceal the bed from the rest of the room. 

The other side of the room was home to shelves full of books and rolled up parchment and a large desk in front of a window covered by a thick curtain, leaving the only source of light several lamps placed about the area. It was enough, however, to see from the other side of the room that there were more parchment and books on the desk, along with a sextant, a miniature globe on a stand, and several other instruments native to sea navigation and necessary for exploration. 

The furnishings were elegant in a sense, but not too fancy. Comfortable but functional, as the Captain of the vessel’s cabin should be. 

Lee was still groggy and while he wanted nothing more than to get out of the dress he wore and divest himself of all other outward traces of Calpernia, he knew that would not be wise. He was on a ship, out in the ocean with a bunch of men who believed he was really a woman. While that thought did not sit very well with him, he knew he had to keep up the appearance for as long as was possible. He had no intention of getting keelhauled any time soon. 

And he certainly wasn’t looking forward to wearing a dress and the prosthetics for days on end. He had never worn them longer than a few hours, and now with the prospect of being Calpernia for weeks, maybe even months, Lee was starting to doubt his career choice and the reasons why he had become Calpernia in the first place.

So, instead, Lee lay down on the bed, still groggy from whatever good ol’ Jimmy had drugged him with. 

As Lee tried to fight going back to sleep, he considered his predicament. He was positive that he was on a pirate ship, thus surrounded by pirates. While the one called Graham had an air of authority around him, it was not the air of a captain. Maybe a first mate, but he did not captain. Jimmy certainly was not the leader, nor was Ken, though he seemed a little out of place amongst pirates. Adam, he assumed, was the young man who had accompanied Jimmy on accosting Calpernia, and the younger man didn’t seem to be pirate material either. Lee had always been told, and thus had believed, that pirates were a ragtag group of scoundrels and thieves, cut throats and brigands with nothing better to do with their time than to pillage unassuming ships and drink ale like a fish. 

Actually, in spite of Jimmy assailing and drugging him, and Graham’s gruff exterior, they didn’t really seem like a bad lot, as far as pirates went. 

But Lee still couldn’t fathom why he had been brought onboard a pirate ship. He wondered when the Captain would see fit to explain his predicament to him. He was without doubt looking forward to the reason for all of this. And as he at last gave up the fight, and closed his eyes, drifting off into sleep, he thought that the explanation, whatever it may be, had better be a damn good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks to my beta and sister, lost_kitty. And to everyone reading and leaving kudos, I really appreciate it.


	3. Exposed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Captain makes his appearance. Sort of.

When Lee opened his eyes, sunlight was filtering in through the curtain that surrounded the bed. Someone had come in while he slept and drawn the curtain around the bed. Lee smiled at how considerable these men were bearing in mind they were pirates.

Lee shifted around on the bed until he could sit up, and when he did, it wasn’t very ladylike. He had slept all night in the dress. Peering out of the curtain to make sure he was alone, Lee loosened the ties on the dress and checked his more intimate areas. The fake breasts were still in place, though he didn’t know how long that would last, and so were the hips. He knew he must look a fright; his wig uncombed and his makeup was probably a disaster to behold. 

Well, there was nothing for it, so Lee pushed the curtain back and stood. And was immediately as happy as he could be given the situation. 

As if a plateful of food and a glass sitting next to a bottle of wine wasn’t enough, there were several pieces of luggage sitting next to the table. Lee’s luggage or rather, Calpernia’s luggage. Refraining from squealing very girlishly in delight, Lee picked them up and sat them on the bed. Inside were Calpernia’s clothing, the clothing kept in the dressing room, but still it was something different from what Lee was wearing now. All his makeup and utensils for his wig were there also. 

What was wrong with these guys? Maybe they weren’t pirates after all, because he was sure that pirates wouldn’t have packed up all of his clothing and belongings and brought them onboard. Who did that for someone they kidnapped?

Even Calpernia’s unmentionables were present. While everything else had been folded and placed in the cases rather neatly (not perfect but acceptable all things considered), the woman’s under things looked as if they had just been tossed in and quickly. He could just see Jimmy or even Adam, throwing the items into the case, not wanting to touch them more than necessary. The thought made Lee laugh out loud.

There wasn’t a mirror in the room, so Lee had to make do with the small one in his makeup case. Sitting back down on the bed, just to make sure that if anyone came in they would not be able to see him until he, hopefully, had enough time to compose himself, Lee took off the wig, and brushed out his own hair before going to work on the wig. Once that was done, he touched up his makeup, which wasn’t really in all that bad of shape. 

The dress he removed and tossed it into a corner. Taking the time to make sure the fake breasts and hips were not going to suddenly fall off was a must, but he tried to rush it as much as he could. The solution given to him to make sure they stayed adhered to his skin had a rather unpleasant smell to it, but he could cover that up easily with the perfume he had at his disposal. 

He was glad he had taken the advice of the ladies of the night and purchased a few dresses that were not made to sing and dance in. They were not as tight fitting as the others, and offered him a freedom of movement in the leg and thigh area that was far more comfortable for long time wear. There were also a few pairs of trousers as well as a few shirts, and he was surprised to find that they had been packed also. It was not unheard of for a lady to disguise herself, especially when she had so many adoring fans, and wanted to escape them from time to time. At least, that was the excuse Calpernia was going to stick to if ever asked.

Once dressed and everything in place (and sure it was going to stay there), Lee sat down to enjoy the exquisite meal set out for him. He took one bite of what appeared to be sea bass and that is where his happiness ended.

The food was horrible. It was cold, but even if it had been hot and fresh, that would not have improved the taste much, if at all. The sea bass, if that was what it truly was, was under flavored and over cooked, leaving it dry and bland. The vegetables were all shrunken and wrinkled, and the bread was as hard as stone. The only good thing was the wine, which is fruity and had a very nice bouquet. 

Lee was pushing the plate of food away in disgust when the door suddenly opened. In walked Graham, Ken, Jimmy, and Adam. 

“Sorry about the food there, lass,” Jimmy said. His features were very apologetic. “Stephen isn’t the best cook, but he tries. Some days are better than others.” He picked up the plate and went to the window. The drape was open, allowing in bright sunlight. He opened the window and threw the food out, plate and all.

“Today was not one of the better ones,” Graham mumbled. 

“Oh, Jimmy, why did you have to toss the plate also?” Ken leveled a look of pure exasperation on the other man.

“Here, this is for you, ma’am.” Adam stepped forward and in his hands, Lee noticed a hat. And not just any hat, but a lady’s sun hat. It was a very nice hat, died yellow, with a daisy attached to the band. “I don’t know why Jed has this, but he said that you could use it on your ‘forays’ onto the deck. It will keep you from getting the heatstroke. Apparently, ladies are fragile and very susceptible to such things.”

“This is no lady.”

The words were spoken in a new voice. A voice that was deep and pleasant to hear. Lee looked up in confusion at the four men standing in the room, not recognizing the voice as belonging to any of them, so where had it come from? There was no one else in the room; no one else had entered with them, so…

And then Lee had his answer and he couldn’t help a gasp escaping him as he saw all four sets of eyes trained on an area _behind_ him. The man who the amazing (for truly it was) voice belonged to had not entered with the others, which meant he had already been in the room. Had been in here the entire time that Lee had been touching up Calpernia to withstand scrutiny.

Lee froze, his eyes wide, his jaw gaping like a fish, as his hands were clenched about the edge of the table. His heart was beating like he had just ran for five miles, and visions of a slow and painful death were making sweat bead out on his skin.

“What do you mean, Captain?” Ken and his crew mates were all confused. (And had he said _Captain_?) 

“I don’t think that is a fair assumption, Captain.” Adam began, softly speaking. “While I understand that some of what Miss Calpernia does on stage would make a preacher man’s wife blush, it isn’t as improper as other performances we have seen, so I hardly think that makes her less of a lady. If you don’t mind my saying so, Sir?” The last sentence was spoken a little hastily.

There was a sigh. “That is not what I meant, Adam.” Lee heard footfalls made by boots, coming closer from behind him. Lee forced his hands from the table and down into his lap where they began twisting the fabric of the dress. “What I meant was our guest is no woman.”

Four sets of eyes shifted to Lee so fast, he would have laughed if he was not afraid that he was about to die in mere moments. Jimmy’s jaw was practically on the floor, Ken still looked doubtful, Graham’s visage had not changed, and Adam had a strange look on his face as if he had just eaten something really sour.

“Gentlemen, say hello to Lee Pace, son of Joseph Pace, a very rich and powerful man, and head of Pace Oils.” In spite of the fact that the voice was about to order his execution, Lee still found it very pleasant to hear.

“Oh!” Adam snapped his fingers, his face lighting up. “They make all those lovely oils that smell of cinnamon and mulberry and …” He trailed off when Jimmy shook his head at him. “Sorry.” 

“Are you sure, Captain?” Ken asked. His bushy eyebrows were crinkled up upon his brow. 

“Oh, I am very sure.” The voice was directly behind Lee. Suddenly, hands were on his shoulders. They were not uncomfortable or painfully clutching. Just resting there, though Lee suspected that they would grab him to keep him still if he tried to run if Lee was stupid enough to try something like that. “Very, >very sure.”

Lee swallowed the lump in his throat, or tried to, but it refused to budge. He felt as if he were about to pass out, he was so frightened. This was the last place he wanted to be exposed in. There was absolutely no escape. 

He was done for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, much appreciation to my beta and sis, lost_kitty!!
> 
> And I appreciate everyone reading this fic and for the kudos! Comments are always welcome!


	4. Confused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Captain tells Lee something surprising.

All but Graham, who was just shaking his head and looking down at his boots, were in various stages of confusion. Lee bowed his head, wondering when and how the death blow would come. He had been determined, despite the obstacles, to make the best of the situation. While not the most ideal of conditions, certainly being aboard a ship at sea had its merits, and he had always wanted to see the lands far reaching beyond his home. Too bad it was going to end before he had even had a chance to broaden his horizons.

“Boys, if you don’t mind, I would like to speak to Mr. Pace alone for a moment,” the Captain stated, his hands still stationary on Lee’s shoulders.

As the four men shuffled out of the room, Lee had to wonder at his sanity. Here he was facing certain death onboard a pirate ship, and for some insane reason every word the Captain spoke sent a thrill of excitement down his spine, and Lee had yet to even see the man’s face. And while he was in full understanding that those hands on his shoulders could kill him at any moment in a number of different ways, it did not stop his skin from feeling the heat they radiated through the fabric of the dress he wore. 

Why in the hell was this man affecting him so?

When the door was securely closed, Lee huffed in indignation. Fine, if he was going to die, then he was going to die but not before he said his piece. Whatever effect this man had on him, for whatever reason, was irrelevant. 

“How dare you! First you kidnap me and then you spy on me!” Lee shrugged the hands off of his shoulders, stood, and spun around to face the Captain, all in the span of 10 seconds. And he really wished he hadn’t.

First of all, having a glass of wine on an empty stomach on a boat which was rocking with the ocean waves was not the smartest thing he had ever done. Add on top of that the standing quickly and the whirling about, and that was all it took for his head to spin. Reaching out to steady himself against the table, he stumbled backward, missing it entirely and his legs literally folding out from under him. But just as he was about to fall, strong hands caught his upper arms, holding him upright, and then helping guide him back to his chair.

Lee collapsed into the chair, head still spinning, swearing that it was the room and not him. His stomach was all but lurching and he had the feeling that he was going to throw up any minute. 

“Here, use this.” A bowl of some sort was put in Lee’s hands, and the second it was, he immediately began vomiting and considering that he had only had a fork full of food and glass of wine, it wasn’t long before he was dry heaving. 

It took a few moments for the spasm to pass, and when it did, Lee felt weak and sweaty. The bowl was taken from him and then a glass of water was put in front of his face. He reached up with shaking hands and took it, taking a slow sip and then another. After a few moments, he set it on the table, physically feeling a little better. 

“I never thought I would be dying by keelhauling. I thought I would be hung or burned at the stake or some such nonsense.” He laughed mirthlessly. Reaching up, he pulled the wig from his head and tossed it on the table, and then removed the wig cap and ran his hands through his hair. “Or are you just going to throw me overboard to the sharks or shoot me or something?”

“Why do you think I am going to kill you?”

“I am a man who has been pretending to be a woman. Death by hanging is the usual punishment as I understand, but unless you are going to tie a rope around my neck and push me from the crow’s nest, then I assume it would be one of the other ways I mentioned.” Lee kicked the shoes off, sighing in relief once he did. 

“I am not going to kill you,” the Captain stated. He sounded sincere, but then again - _pirate_. “And for your information, I knew you were a man long before I sent my men to… _acquire_ you.”

Lee’s brow furrowed in confusion, and then he turned in his chair and, finally, came face-to-face with the Captain. 

While Lee dressed like a woman and was damn good at acting like one, he had never really considered what that could mean beyond his reasons for doing so. While he admitted that he had been attracted to a few men in his time, he had also been attracted to a few women. But approaching another man could be a mistake that would either get him ran out of town or hung in the town square, so he had avoided that hassle altogether. The women he had been with, approached as who he was born, a man, had not been what other men had said they would be. He had always left unsatisfied and confused. He had eventually given up, and decided to leave both sexes alone, but he knew that it was the male of the genus that was his preference, and that meant that he would forever be alone.

It didn’t mean that he couldn’t appreciate from a distance. It didn’t mean that he couldn’t fantasize and dream. 

And, as it was, that is precisely how he would describe the man standing before him – a dream.

Angular features and a thin nose reminiscent of a nobleman from a more glorious era, a wide forehead and thin lips, though the bottom was fuller, sensual and in contrast with the sharp features of a intuitive and reflective man. Hair of a rich, dark brown fell to his shoulders, but what would have hung over his ears was pulled back and tied at the back of his head. He wore black pants, black boots, and a dark blue shirt, the ties loosened about his neck and down to the middle of his chest. A truly handsome man if Lee had ever seen one.

But what arrested his attention the most was the man’s eyes; perceiving blue eyes that seemed to penetrate Lee down to his very soul. They were amazing to behold, as beautiful as priceless sapphire gems, and as wondrous to look into as seeing the sky for the first time after many days of dark gray skies and sheets of rain.

But Lee had spent the better part of his life pretending in some form or another, perfecting the art of hiding what he did not want seen, and this was no different. He managed, though it was with great effort, to conceal his reaction, hide his attraction to the other man, and keep up the pretense of being bewildered at the Captain’s words, though the latter was much easier than the other two. 

“How? How did you know?” Lee was proud of the fact that his voice remained level. 

The Captain looked him straight into the eyes, and if he just happened to notice how that simple action made Lee’s blood pump just a little bit faster by a heart that was threatening to crack the ribs it was under, he gave no indication.

What he said next, however, made Lee’s eyes widen in shock.

“Your mother told me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me some time to update. I had work to do!
> 
> Thanks to my sis, lost_kitty, for editing and just for being my sis!!
> 
> And much appreciation to everyone who is reading, leaving kudos, comments, and that just cares about this fic. THANK YOU!!


	5. Enlightened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Richard explains to Lee why he had his crew kidnap him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize to Lee's father for turning him into a jerk for my fic.

“My mother?” Lee was beyond confused. He couldn’t imagine why his mother would tell a pirate about him and what he did and how he did it. But what was even more perplexing was that his mother knew a pirate at all. “I don’t believe you. My mother is an upstanding woman, a very good and kind-hearted woman. How would she even know a pirate, let alone associate with one?”

The Captain was looking at him with an amused expression, and that only made Lee even more indignant. 

“Sit down and I will explain everything to you, because you really need to know all of it, even the bits you are going to wish you didn’t,” the Captain said. He motioned to the seat Lee had just occupied and with a sigh Lee did as suggested and sat down. The Captain poured a glass of water from a pitcher on the table and held it out to Lee. “Here, drink this. It will be better for you until you get used to being on a ship.”

“And just how long am I going to be on this ship?” Lee took the glass and held it while watching the Captain go around the table and take the seat directly across from him. “How long am I to be a prisoner on your ship?”

“As long as it takes to do what I promised your mother I would do,” the man answered, leaning back in the chair, his eyes intent on Lee, so much so that he had to fight to keep from squirming under such scrutiny. “And you are not a prisoner.”

“Really? Could have fooled me,” Lee mumbled. He took a sip of the water, finding it cool and refreshing. 

Lee did not miss the grin that appeared on the other man’s face. It told Lee that his grumblings had not been missed.

“Your mother sent me to find you and to make sure that you were kept safe,” the Captain explained. 

“Why? Kept safe from what?”

The Captain sighed, averting his gaze to the table surface, his long fingers toying with a folded napkin that was near. Lee was no idiot; whatever the Captain had to tell him, he wasn’t going to like if the man was acting like this.

“Your father called in a favor with the Navy. His request was that they find you and put you in Ravendale.” 

“Ravendale?” Lee shook his head confused. “But that is an asylum for the insane. I’m not insane!”

“He wanted you put there so they can attempt to _fix_ you.” The Captain leaned forward and put his elbows on the table, laying his hands atop each other on the wood surface of the table, and watched Lee intently once again.

“ _Fix me_? But there’s nothing wrong with me. I don’t –” He cut his words off and groaned. Looking down, he saw the dress he was wearing, and he knew. He knew what his father wanted them to fix. “I can’t believe that he would do something like this.” Lee’s voice was barely above a whisper. He swallowed hard, trying to keep his emotions in check. “How? How would they do it? Fix me?”

The Captain sighed, a sound that came from deep within. “I’m not entirely sure, but I imagine if putting you in a padded room for a time didn’t work, then they would move on to various drugs, followed by a nice dose of electricity to your brain, and if all of that failed to produce the desired results, then the next logical step would be a lobotomy.”

Lee shuddered violently at the thought of all of those things happening to him. “How could my own father…want for that to happen to me? I mean, I understand he was displeased with me, and that if anyone found out, it would cause him great embarrassment, but to think that I am mentally diseased or _broken_ to such a degree that to destroy part of my brain is the only solution…” Lee slumped back in the chair, suddenly feeling as if he had no strength to move, as if his bones had been turned to jelly, and he was just a breathing mass of goo.

“Fathers have high expectations for their sons.” Lee, as emotionally and mentally crippled as he currently was, did not miss the bitterness in the Captain’s voice. “You father’s method, however, for reclaiming you is extreme.”

“He would rather me be a slobbering invalid than… _this_.” He motioned to himself, decked out in Calpernia’s attire, makeup, and all. 

“May I ask you something?” The Captain’s voice was soft and deep and calming. Lee nodded his agreement. “I mean no disrespect of any sort, nor do I wish to upset you even more, but why? Why pretend, although very convincingly, to be a woman?”

Lee couldn’t help but chuckle. “When I was a child, I was taller than all the other children. Very much so. They made fun of me for it. So, I would slump my shoulders in order to appear shorter. They made fun of the way I moved, like a dancer, my mother used to tell me, so I would stumble and drag my feet. I have always been a shy person, socially awkward, damn near scared witless around groups of people. My father did not approve of my staying in my room at social gatherings, so he would force me out. I was so timid that I would often begin to cry, and in front of all my father’s friends and associates, I shamed him. He told me one day that the best thing I could do for myself and for his reputation was to just try and be everything that I wasn’t. And not too long after that, I got the idea that to be everything I wasn’t was to be the opposite, and Calpernia was born. I used a great deal of his money to do what he had told me. It’s funny that my doing this was basically on his suggestion.” Lee chuckled again, and soon he actually laughed at the thought of it all. How would his father react if Lee told him that it was his fault that Lee did this? He would probably have Lee hung.

“Your mother was afraid for you. The Navy takes their orders very well and very seriously, so whoever your father knows will be sure that the request is carried out. He must have a great many friends and associates in high places.”

Lee shrugged. “I was always too busy looking at my feet to notice.” He snorted, glancing up at the Captain. The man was still watching him, though he was leaned back in his chair now, hands laced over his stomach. There was a certain amount of sympathy in his features and assurance in his eyes.

“The safest place for you now is aboard my ship, though I must warn you, as I did your mother, that we are not low on the list of those who the Navy would like to see blown out of the water. But I can get to places they can’t and I know these waters better than even their most veteran Admiral.” To Lee, he seemed to cringe at his own words, especially the word _Admiral_ , but Lee couldn’t be sure. It had happened so quickly, if it had happened at all. 

“Now may I ask a question of you?” The Captain nodded. “How do you know my mother?”

The Captain’s face burst out in a smile that was, well, wonderful to see. Lee couldn’t help but smile as well. “She and my mother, when they were younger, took classes together in order to teach. They kept in touch over the years. My mother directed me to yours when she confided in her.” He shrugged. “Simple as that.”

It was Lee’s turn to nod. He looked down at himself again, and sighed, smile fading. “I guess, since the cat is out of the bag, that it is time for me to pack Calpernia away. At least, for now.” He ran his hands through his real hair, leaving it sticking up at odd angles on his head. 

“Now you just look ridiculous,” The Captain commented, his voice full of mirth. Lee rolled his eyes, but he knew it was true. “I will leave you to it then.” The Captain stood, walking toward the door.

“Wait … Do you have a real name or is it just Captain?” Lee had to ask.

The man paused, hand on the door, and without turning around, he said: “Richard.” And then he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all!! And thanks lost_kitty for pointing out just how many times Lee removes his wig in this fic. LOL!!


	6. Diligent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lee finds his place aboard the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Martin has a very bad mouth and uses it in this chapter and every other chapter he will be in later. And I know Stephen is not a bad cook, but I needed him to be for this fic. Sorry Stephen!!

Lee tossed the dress, shoes, wig, all other physical traces of Calpernia into the suitcase and slammed it shut, locking it, and then shoved it under the bed. Granted, this was the Captain’s room, and there was absolutely no reason at all why he should be storing his belongings in here, but he didn’t have anywhere else to at this moment, so that would have to do.

Adam had brought in a pitcher of fresh water and Lee used it to scrub his face clean of all makeup. 

Once dressed in a pair of trousers and a loose fitting shirt, Lee took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then slowly let it out. Knowing what he now knew, about his father and the Navy, Lee understood that no matter what, hiding would be difficult. And hiding behind Calpernia was not going to help him any either. It was easier to just let her go, for now, and to face this as himself. He sighed, slipping on a pair of boots, and made his way to the door.

It wasn’t locked. Adam had told him after bringing the water that the Captain had said Lee was free to move around the ship. Lee had also been told that he would be expected to earn his keep while on board also. Even though the pirates had saved his life, he wasn’t going to get away with hanging around in the Captain’s quarters all day and night, eating their food, and drinking their wine. Lee was ready to do whatever he had to do, though he had never done any real work in his life.

That wasn’t entirely true. Pretending to be Calpernia was not a walk in the park. That had taken a lot of work. He had also hunted and fished for food, chopped wood, and learned a little first aid which had come in handy on a few occasions. On one such occasion, after a fight had broken out in a bar one night, he had been able to stitch up wounds and treat abrasions rather well.

The door was not locked, as Adam said it wouldn’t be, and Lee stepped out onto the deck in the bright sunlight, having to shield his eyes to get used to such a full onslaught, and gazed about in amazement.

The sky above was a spectacular shade of blue and not a cloud rolled by, nor were there any to be found in any direction. On the deck were Adam, along with Graham and James as well as several other men he did not know. They were working, but rather leisurely as they did, chatting and laughing amongst themselves. It was all very relaxed and calm and peaceful.

“ _What in the bloody hell are you louts up to_?” 

The voice shattered the peaceful atmosphere and sent the crew on the deck scrambling, each suddenly performing their duties as if they had been lashed with a whip. It was so fast that Lee was astounded. He was even more so when the man who had apparently yelled from below came up onto the deck. 

He had short cropped dark blonde hair and a sour look on his face. Everything about him screamed impatience from the way his mouth twitched to the way he stomped around. 

“Aidan, I don’t give a bloody damn who you are related to. You work on this fucking ship and work on it you are going to do!” 

Lee was tempted to slink back into the Captain’s cabin and hide, but the man turned toward him, eyeing him suspiciously. “Ah! You must be the cross-dressing weirdo James and Adam have been talking about.” He looked Lee up and down before shaking his head. “Whatever. To each his own, I guess, but don’t think you aren’t going to have to work to stay on board. The Captain is the Captain, but I run things when he doesn’t bloody want to be bothered, so when I tell you to work, you will fucking work or I will toss you overboard myself and don’t think for a second that I won’t do it!”

“Yes, Sir,” Lee said. It was best to get on this man’s good side, he reckoned, _if_ the man had a good side. So far, Lee had his doubts that he did.

“The name is Martin, but ‘sir’ will do.” Martin turned to watch the other members of the crew. All of them made an effort to avoid meeting his eyes. He spun swiftly back to Lee. “What can you do besides wear dresses and sing and dance?”

“I…I can cook,” Lee admitted, hopefully.

“Really?” Martin actually seemed to perk up at this. “Are you a good cook or are you just saying you can cook?”

“I can cook, very well,” Lee promised and it was true.

Martin gave this some thought and then shrugged. “Well, you can’t be any worse than Stephen. I don’t think it is bloody possible to be a worse cook than Stephen. I’m surprised we all haven’t died of food poisoning or starvation yet. Okay, to the galley with you. Cook us up something and if it is good, you can be our cook. If it isn’t, then you will get to scrap the barnacles off the hull of the ship, while we are sailing. Hope you can cook as good as you say or pray you can hold your breath for a very fucking long time.”

_________

“Oh, thank heavens,” Stephen cried. He was shaking Lee’s hand so enthusiastically that Lee’s head was bobbing up and down. “I have been trying and trying to cook better, but it’s just so bloody hard, and the boys are so damn picky!”

Once Lee’s hand was released, Stephen motioned around the galley. It was a large galley with a great many luxuries found in the kitchens of fine restaurants on land. Lee was quite impressed with it all and was looking forward to getting started, in spite of his nervousness. He really did not want to be hung of the side of the ship to scrap barnacles.

“So, what do you need me to do? Just tell me and I will do it. As far as I’m concerned, in the galley, you’re in charge.” Stephen had a pleasant smile; one Lee couldn’t help but return.

“How good are you at chopping?” Lee motioned to the vegetables already set out on the countertop. 

“Oh, aye, that I can do.” Stephen went to work immediately and Lee was glad that the man was not lying. He chopped like a professional. 

Lee decided the easiest thing to cook, since he was cooking for a group (15 to be exact, counting himself, according to Stephen), would be to make stew. It was something he enjoyed making and he was also very good at making it. He was sure it would please the crew.

While searching through the pantry, so-to-speak, Lee found moldy bread and bags of flour that had obviously been subject to too much dampness, which rendered it useless. Not all of it was worthless and he was able to make bread to go with the stew. The meat had been taken much better care of and thus only had to be trimmed a little bit before slicing what was needed for the stew.

Stephen sliced all the vegetables and got them into the pot without too much trouble and then he spent the rest of the time watching Lee, hoping to learn something. Lee didn’t mind and even made a few pointers which Stephen eagerly absorbed, nodding enthusiastically to the point Lee was sure his head would fly off. But it didn’t and soon the stew was done, the scent of it wafting through the galley pleasantly. 

“It hasn’t smelled this good in here in quite a while,” Martin commented as he entered the galley. He was actually smiling (which, Stephen told Lee later on, didn’t happen very much or often). He looked into the pot, nodding, and even “ohhed” at the freshly baked bread. “I’ll tell the boys that it is ready.” And he trotted off, still smiling. 

“I’ll carry the stew pot,” Stephen announced. He took it by the handle and lifted it easily from the stove. “You get the bread, ladle, and knife.” Instruments in hand, Lee followed him through another door than the one Martin had entered and exited, and down a short hallway, to another room. Inside was a long table surrounded by chairs. 

Already in the room were two of the men on deck that Lee had seen earlier that he didn’t know. 

“Lee,” Stephen said. He sat the pot on the one end of the table, the only area that did not have a chair. “This is Aidan and Dean, our resident trouble makers.”

“Hey! We aren’t trouble makers,” The one called Aidan argued. He and Dean were setting out bowls and utensils from a cabinet against the wall between two portholes. 

“It isn’t our fault that trouble finds us,” Dean spoke up while going to the cabinet this time to retrieve ale mugs. 

The other men started filing in then, and Stephen introduced Lee to them as well. There was William, Mark, John, Jed, and Peter. The rest he had met before. Everyone sat down as Stephen ladled stew into bowls which Lee then handed to Graham, who was sitting closest to where he stood, who then passed them down. Dean and Aidan filled up the mugs from pitchers of ale. Once everyone had a full bowl, Lee then sliced up the bread and it was also passed around until everyone had some.

Martin took a few bites of both bread and stew, and nodded. “Congratulations, Mr. Pace. You won’t be scraping barnacles off the hull of the ship.” He raised his mug of ale. “Well done!”

“Hear! Hear!” The rest of the crew agreed, lifting their mugs of ale as well in salute and then they went back to eating, most acting as if they were starving.

Lee had noticed early on that the Captain had not joined them. “When does the Captain get here?” 

“Oh, sorry,” Martin said, wiping his mouth on a napkin. “You’ll have to take his to him. He’s in his cabin I would wager.” 

Stephen handed Lee a bowl of stew, a slice of bread on a neatly folded napkin, and a mug of ale, plus eating utensils, which Lee balanced well enough to walk with. “Don’t drop or spill anything.” Was yelled after Lee as he left the room and made his way slowly and carefully back to the kitchen. Once there, he found a tray large enough to place everything on, collecting a small plate for the bread. The tray made things much easier as he carried it to the stairs leading up to the deck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to everyone. And thanks, lost_kitty, for editing. And I need you to help me take some of these plot bunnies I have to get them spayed and neutered!!!


	7. Dexterous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes. I borrow from the movie here.

It was hard to knock on a door when you have a tray in your hands, so instead of taking a chance balancing the tray one-handed, Lee decided his best course of action would be to use his foot. Years of walking and dancing in heels gave him a better sense of stability than he would have had otherwise. However, this presented another problem because just as he raised his foot to tap it against the door, the ship hit a wave, a small one but it was just enough to cause the ship to lurch, which in turn almost caused Lee to lose his stability. In an amazing feat of dexterity (though Lee was glad no one was around to see it), he spun on the foot still standing firmly on the deck, leaning his shoulder into the door, giving him just what he needed not to drop the tray and to set his other foot down. And, also, his shoulder banged against the door just enough to alert the Captain that someone was seeking his attention.

“Enter,” came the Captain’s voice through the door.

“I can’t, Captain,” Lee answered. He hadn’t thought about how he was going to open the door. He couldn’t do _that_ with his foot. “I have my hands full.”

He didn’t have to wait too long for the door to open. Captain Richard stood on the other side wearing pretty much what he had been wearing the last time Lee saw him. The only difference really was that his hair was no longer pinned back behind his ears. Instead it was falling loosely about his shoulders and face.

The Captain glanced at the tray in Lee’s hands, his visage becoming weary. “I see Martin has put you to work, though I must admit to being surprised it is in the galley with Stephen.”

It was fortunate the tray was not heavy. “Why does that surprise you? Where did you expect him to put me to work?” Lee was curious, not quite sure if he should feel insulted quite yet or not.

“I figured he would have you down in the belly of the ship tending to the animals.” The Captain stepped aside, motioning Lee into the cabin and to the table. Lee sat the tray down as the Captain closed the door. “We have some chickens, goats, a goose or two, and a milking cow. Stephen insisted on it.” The Captain explained as Lee set the food out proper for him. “A constant source of food for when we are at sea for long periods of time.”

“Eggs and milk,” Lee stated. He saw the wisdom in that. “Though, I imagine they would grow tiresome without any other food stuffs.” He saw that the Captain was still eyeing the food suspiciously. “Is there a problem?”

“I know Stephen’s cooking,” The Captain began, “and while he has his moments, not all of them are good moments. This –” He motioned to the food on the table. “This is not his work, so I assume that it is yours.” Lee nodded. “Hmm.” He sat down, took up the spoon, and tried a mouthful. Lee stood back, waiting, nervously doing so. “This is excellent.” The Captain said with a chuckle. Lee let out the breath he hadn’t known he had been holding. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Lee stated, turning and heading toward the door. 

“And you don’t have to call me Captain, you know. Richard is fine. I don’t mind it at all really. If I could just get the others to get it through their heads.” He smiled at Lee before returning to his meal.

Lee returned the smile and left the cabin, amazed once again by the effect this man had on him so easily. 

__________________

Eating with the crew was an experience that Lee enjoyed much more than he thought he would.

He had returned from taking Richard his food to find the rest of the crew still seated around the table. He had been able to hear them laughing long before he got to the mess hall, and had already been smiling himself when he entered the room. They were joking around, making a mess of things while they did so. There was ale spilt on the floor and table, silverware all about, bread crumbs, and even a broken mug scattered about. 

Lee enjoyed the stories that were told, embellished as he was sure they were, but everyone treated him no differently than the rest of the crew as if he had been here the whole time with them, which was something that made him very happy and touched him immensely. They didn’t seem to care what he had done before even though they all knew it. It made no difference to any of them and they even teased him about it. But he took it all in good humor and the time spent went along quickly. 

When the meal was over, Lee stood and began gathering dishes to begin the cleanup, but Aidan and Dean stopped him.

“Nope. That is our job. You cooked. We clean.”

“Oh, bloody hell!” Martin swore and, taking Lee by the arm, dragged him over into the corner of the room. “You might want to stay out of the way. Sometimes they get a little crazy.”

Lee watched as all the crew but Aidan and Dean filed out. Aidan stood at the foot of the table, farthest from the door. Dean was between him and the door and Adam stood in the doorway. Lee was about to ask what they were doing, when suddenly Aidan began picking up the dishes, silverware, mugs, and all, and began tossing them to Dean, who in turn tossed them to Adam, who then tossed them to whoever was standing next in line. 

It took all of 5 minutes, and by the time they were done, all that was left was the stew pot which was void of any stew (Lee felt very proud of this fact). Since it was much heavier than the rest, Aidan picked it up and walked it over to Dean who handed it to Adam and so forth and so on.

“That was done nicely,” Martin stated. He was smiling, nodding, and patted Lee on the back. “They do that to lighten things up, but we lose more dishes this way.”

By the time Lee made it to the galley, nearly all the dishes were clean and Aidan and Dean were carrying them back to the cabinet in the mess hall, hands full of precariously stacked dishes and utensils. (Martin pointed out that this was another way they lost dishes also, because sometimes Dean and Aidan were rather intoxicated when they attempted this). Stephen was just finishing up with the pot, smiling wide.

As the other crew members left, each patted Lee on the back, and thanked him for a great meal.

“Well, I have to tell you, I don’t mind at all that you’re the new cook,” Stephen admitted while drying his hands on his apron. An apron that had once been white but was now gray and not very clean, but Lee didn’t say anything. “I used to be a chef before I became a member of the crew, and I was a damn good one, but I still haven’t gotten used to cooking on board a ship. I don’t know why, but nothing I do turns out right.”

“How long have you been a member of the crew?” 

Lee was surprised by Stephen’s reaction to the question. He was suddenly nervous and began mumbling, clearly flustered by the question. Aidan and Dean, coming back from putting the dishes up, saved him, however, when they reentered the galley.

“Everything is put away. Martin said that we are to listen to you, so if you ever need us to help out in the kitchen for whatever reason, don’t hesitate to come and get us.” They both waved and left the galley. When Lee turned, Stephen was making his way quickly back down the hallway, gone before Lee could ask him what the matter was. Why had he reacted that way about being asked how long he had been a member of the crew?

“Don’t pay him any mind.”

Richard’s voice behind him, coming from the opposite side of the room from either exit, startled Lee, causing him to spin around.

“How in the hell did you get in here?” He clamped his hand over his mouth. “I meant no disrespect.” He apologized, his voice muffled by his hand.

“It’s fine.” Richard waved it away. Lee then noticed the tray that he had taken up to the cabin earlier sitting on the counter. Richard, captain that he was, took the dishes off the tray and sat them in the sink, still filled with soapy water.

“Here, let me.” Lee went around to the sink. He thought for a moment that Richard would argue, but he stepped out of the way to allow Lee to wash the dishes. He leaned against the counter, arms crossed over his chest. 

“Everyone treating you alright?” Lee felt as if he asked just to break the silence.

“Yes, great.” Lee smiled. The water was still very hot and he could feel it scalding his hands, but he figured that he would have to get used to it. In his mind he knew that Calpernia would be having a fit at the thought of washing dishes (since when had he started referring to her as if she were someone else entirely, he wondered). “I never thought I would be on a ship, but even though it has only been a few days, I feel I can get used to it easily.”

“Good.” Richard nodded. “Don’t let Martin intimidate you. As Quartermaster, it is his job to run the ship, except in times of battle or when we are running from someone. That is just his way, being cantankerous and overbearing.” Without giving Lee a chance, he took a towel and dried the dishes, stacking them, and then handing them to Lee. “And watch Aidan and Dean. They can cause a lot of mischief.”

“I’ll keep all that in mind,” Lee said. He took the dishes and made his way to the hallway to put them up in the mess hall. He paused and began to turn. “By the way, I…” The words died in his throat. Richard was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lost_kitty, thank you very much for editing!! And thanks to all reading!


	8. Early to Rise

Martin informed Lee that he would be sleeping with the rest of the crew down in the sleeping quarters. His luggage (Calpernia’s belongings) was stored out of the way, so all he had to worry about were the few items of clothing that he had left.

His bed was basically a hammock strung from two wooden columns. Lee had never in his life slept in a hammock and he wasn’t expecting his first time in one to be comfortable.

And it wasn’t. Once he got into the thing, his attempts very comical to the rest of the crew, he spent most of the night in fear that any movement, even the slightest one, would have him dumped to the floor. He lay with his arms crossed over his chest, hands gripping his own shoulders, literally hugging himself, afraid even to breathe. When he did go to sleep, it was only for a short time. He would wake up, having either dreamed that he was trapped in the hammock spinning around and around unable to get out, or was falling from a hammock from a height much greater than it actually was.

So, when Jed came over and shook him to wake him up, not only was he awake, but the action nearly had him scared senseless because it sent the hammock rocking hazardously back and forth, nearly dumping Lee out on the floor.

“Sorry,” Jed whispered, grinning sheepishly. “I just figured that since you are the cook now that you would want to come with me to gather fresh eggs and milk. It is important that you know where we keep the livestock and how to get there.”

“Yeah. Right. Good idea.” Lee was more than happy to get out of the contraption that he was sure would be the death of him some day and followed Jed out of the bunk area and through the ship. As they walked, Jed pointed out a few things.

“This is actually our second ship. Our first ship, _Betsy_ , was sunk about a year ago. Luckily, the Captain had this ship hidden just in case it was ever needed.”

Lee had to duck in a few places to keep from banging his head. It was a lesson he learned quickly. Most of the ship was lit by gas lamps placed every 4 feet on the walls that came on when someone drew near and then turned themselves off again after the person had walked by. The ship was an advanced one: the gas lamps all fed from a source housed somewhere in the central part of the ship. Lee could hear the steam engine powering the ship instead of the sails. Ships like this were expensive and rare. So far, he had only heard of the Navy having such ships.

While most of the ship was still wood, the bottom hull and a few key places inside, like the galley, were comprised of steel. This was done to keep her light because, Lee suspected, she was one of the even rarer ones that could fly. Since he hadn’t got a look at the outside of the ship, or at the compartments near the starboard and port hulls, he could only assume that she had the deployable equipment that would enable her, in extreme circumstances, to fly. Flying, however, took a great amount of energy and if the crew was not careful, the ship could very easily fall from sky, falling into the water, or worse, crashing on land.

“How did you manage to escape the other ship?”

“We managed to get away in the wine and ale barrels. Wasted a lot of fine liquor that day, but it couldn’t be helped. We floated away as the ship sank. The smoke helped shield us and it was pretty foggy that day. Good thing we weren’t far from shore and very lucky we did not get caught.” Jed shook his head in sadness. “Poor _Betsy_. She was gone before her time.”

“And who sank her?”

Jed stopped and turned to face Lee. His face was full of anger, so much so that Lee took an involuntary step back. “That ruthless bastard, Cumberbatch. The youngest admiral in the Royal Fleet and a black-hearted wretch if there ever was one. He has this ship called _Smaug, the Terrible_. Don’t know why he named it that or what it means, but it is this huge gunship and its hull is painted this deep red color, like the color of dried blood. Everyone, even his own crew, call him _The Dragon_.” Jed began walking again. “He has been after us and the Captain for years.”

“Why?” From what he had seen so far, the crew on this ship as well as her Captain wasn’t the kind of pirates who attacked and plundered innocent ships.

Jed shook his head again. “That would be best explained by the Captain, but I wouldn’t go asking him about it. Maybe someday, he’ll tell you, but for now let’s just leave it at he doesn’t like us and let it go at that.”

This made Lee even more curious, but he didn’t press it. “So, what is the name of this ship?”

“We haven’t named her yet. Been almost a year, but we can’t find one that fits her.” Jed threw Lee a smile over his shoulder. “I am sure the Captain will come up with one that does her justice when he finds one that suits her. Ah! Here we are. I hope you paid attention to the way here. You might have to come down here by yourself later on in the day sometime.”

Lee hoped he had, too.

________________________

Lee had milked cows and goats before and gathered eggs, so that was the easy part. The hard part was taking it all up to the kitchen, which was a different way from the bunks. If it weren’t for Jed, he would have been lost, and he knew that if he had to do this again by himself, as Jed had stated, the crew would be starving because he would be lost somewhere in the ship.

He made omelets for breakfast along with sausage and bacon plus some homemade biscuits that turned out very well. He had found a large amount of cheese in a pantry. In fact, cheese was _all_ that had been in there. Stephen explained that it was a favorite of his, but for omelets, Lee could use as much of it as he wanted. As Stephen, Aidan, and Dean made sure themselves and the crew were fed, Lee took a tray up to the Captain, err…Richard. 

“There is an island that we go to to restock. Friends of ours leave the stuff in a hidden cache for us to pick up when we need to. It is how we stay away from ports unless necessary.” Richard explained as Lee set breakfast out before him at the table in his cabin. “We will arrive there and anchor tonight and go ashore in the morning. All of us go.”

“Okay,” Lee stated, taking the now empty tray and stepping back. “Is it dangerous?”

“No, not at all.” Richard shook his head. “There have been no signs of the Navy and besides, they don’t know about the island. We have never had problems before.”

Richard bringing up the Navy reminded Lee of what Jed had told him earlier, but as much as he wanted to ask about why this Admiral Cumberbatch wanted to do the Captain and his crew harm, he refrained from asking and instead found something else to ask about.

“Jed told me that your ship doesn’t have a name,” he began. He was hungry and knew he shouldn’t waste the Captain’s time, but he found himself reluctant to leave the man’s presence so quickly. He admitted to himself that he rather enjoyed being in the same room with the other man. A little bit too much, if he was honest with himself. “May I ask why not?”

Richard actually smiled at him, a genuine smile, shy (Lee was stunned that this man should be _shy_ ) around the edges as he sat down his cup of coffee. “Well, a name is something that is given that will be with that which it is given to for the rest of its existence. Like a parent naming a child, you don’t want to give a name to your ship arbitrarily. You might regret it later.”

Led nodded, returning the smile. “I’m sorry. I am keeping you from your breakfast.” He sat the empty tray down on the table, out of the way, but in easy reach. “I don’t mean to bother you with idle chatter. I’ll leave you to it.”

“It’s fine,” Richard stated as Lee turned to leave. Lee looked at him questionably. “The idle chatter, I mean. I don’t mind it.” He was looking down at his plate, fork in hand, and Lee could swear he saw a blush creeping up the other man’s face. “In fact, I wouldn’t mind it at all if we talked more often, duties permitting, of course. I would hate for you to get in trouble with Martin over dereliction of duties.”

Lee found himself nodding like an idiot, and smiling like a fool. “I would like that,” he stated. He wasn’t about to add just how much. 

“Good,” Richard said, cutting the omelet with his fork. “You should go eat before the boys eat it all.”

“Yeah, I should.” He walked backward to the door – why, he didn’t know – and managed to find the doorknob. “Good morning,” he said before opening the door. Once on the other side and just before he closed the door, he heard the Captain’s return: “Good morning.” Trying to keep the bounce of happiness out of his steps, he returned to the mess hall, eating not the most predominant thing on his mind anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to make Benedict the bad guy, of course. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone reading. And a big thanks to my beta, lost_kitty. Meow! Meow! Meow!! Trust me, she understood that.


	9. Pranksters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aidan and Dean. Stuck on a ship. Out at sea. They get bored. Poor Lee.

The rest of the day might have been uneventful - _if_ it hadn’t been for Aidan and Dean. While not the youngest members of the crew, that honor went to Adam, they were joined at the hip and both shared a certain mentality that was hard to suppress – mischief. Lee found this out the hard way.

Lee had decided to make more fresh bread and have it baking while he made lunch. But he couldn’t remember how to get back to where the animals were for more eggs and milk. He made the mistake of asking Aidan and Dean, who were sent to the galley by Martin to clean. The Quartermaster had made it very clear that he wanted them to scrub everything from top to bottom as punishment. Apparently they had replaced the fresh water barrel on deck that the crew drank from while working in the sun with sea water. Mark and William had been the first to experience drinking salt water. They weren’t too happy about it.

By the time Lee found any place familiar to him in the bowels of the ship, it was nearly lunch time. He happened across Peter who was just leaving the engine room after doing some routine maintenance. He guided Lee back to the galley where Aidan and Dean began to guffaw at seeing him, though they quieted down when Peter followed Lee into the room, and yelled at them. They were sent to gather the eggs and milk with no funny business, as Peter had warned them. Lunch was an hour late and the bread that Lee had hoped to make was put aside for later.

It only got worse from there. Lee made supper and he and Stephen took it to the mess hall. Everyone was served and Lee was just about to go and take the Captain his food, when Graham, John, James, and Mark, who had each taken a mouthful of the hearty soup Lee and Stephen had made, spit it out, nearly all at once, in disgust. Aidan and Dean began laughing loudly, clearly amused by what they had done, though they were the only ones. Apparently, while left alone to clean the galley, they had decided to switch the salt and sugar. Martin, sputtering with rage, sent them to the animal stalls to clean them without supper and with the order not to sleep until the area was spotless. Graham dragged them out of the room, going with them to make sure they did what they were supposed to do.

Lee and Stephen, after disposing of the ruined soup (which Martin said he should have made Aidan and Dean eat until it was all gone), prepared a replacement dinner of ham, left over biscuits, green beans, and fried potatoes. 

When Lee took Richard’s meal to him, he had just been given permission to enter the cabin, when Martin stormed past him. 

“Those two are a bloody nuisance!” Martin was practically yelling. Lee hung back, unsure of what to do. “You should send them back to your sister!”

Richard sighed, standing up from the chair behind his desk. Charts and maps were strewn out atop it, as well as a few books and ledgers. “You know I can’t do that, Martin. She would just send them right back.”

“Not if she didn’t know where we were,” Martin stated. He took a deep breath to calm himself, but it didn’t help much. His hands were planted on his hips and his breathing was quick with his anger. “They not only tormented us today, but they also made Lee’s life a fucking _misery_.” He waved in Lee’s direction. “Wasted food. Wasted water. If you don’t do something about them, I will. Graham and Peter said they would help me keelhaul them if necessary.”

Richard sighed again, deep with vexation. “I’ll take care of it, Martin,” he agreed. Martin nodded once and then left the cabin, muttering to himself. Lee pushed the door closed with his foot and took the tray to the table.

“Sorry that supper is so late,” Lee apologized as if it were his fault.

“What did they do?” Richard sat down at his place at the table, pouring himself a glass of wine and downing it in one gulp.

“They replaced the salt with sugar,” Lee explained reluctantly. He didn’t want to get the two in more trouble in spite of what they had done. “Stephen and I had to throw the soup out.”

“Oh, bloody hell!” Richard swore. He rubbed his face with both hands and then ran them through his hair. “I never should have agreed to take them with me. They were too young, but my sister…” He chuckled. “My sister is…well, let’s just say I am more afraid of her than I am of anyone else in this world.”

Lee couldn’t help but smile. “I have a younger sister. I was afraid of her, too, especially when she didn’t get her way. It was said people could hear her shrill screaming all the way to the butchers, a full mile away from the house.”

Richard chuckled again. “Yeah. Younger sisters. I’ve had that experience as well. And she also hits, _hard_ , and yells, and spits, and curses, and will bite if you let her get too close. I feel sorry for her husband. I warned him. He still married her.”

Lee laughed. He wondered if his sister had a suitor yet. The thought of him missing so much in her and his little brother’s life made him sad for a moment, but he brushed it aside. 

“James said we were nearing the island,” Lee said, setting the empty tray aside. “May I ask you something?”

Richard nodded. “Of course.”

“Well, it is just that none of you seem like typical pirates, and I was curious about something Jed said, about the Navy. About why they seem to hate you so.”

Richard smiled once again, and pushed the chair closest to him out with his foot. He motioned for Lee to sit, which he did. 

“There is a man who is an advisor to the Royal Navy. His name is Christopher Lee. He is not a good man. There are rumors that he is a master of dark magic. We know these rumors to be true because of our sponsor.”

“Your _sponsor_?”

“Yes. A man named Ian. He also dabbles in sorcery, but not the dark arts. He is the one who protects our ship from being detected. There are runes all over the hull inside and out that he placed there. It keeps Mr. Lee from finding us, but he has found a way around that.” Richard poured himself another glass of wine as he spoke, and then one for Lee. “There is a new admiral in the Navy, a rather young one for such a station. His name is Benedict Cumberbatch, but many refer to him as the Dragon. He has this ability to find ships, even ones protected such as ours. He has sworn to annihilate anyone who sails under a pirate’s flag. He is ruthless and blood thirsty, more pirate than most that he claims are.”

“But you don’t sail under a pirate’s flag,” Lee said, thinking out loud.

“No, but Christopher and Ian are old rivals, and don’t like each other very much. Christopher knows Ian sponsors us, and he can’t find him any other way, so he sends his dragon after us.”

“I see,” Lee took a sip of his wine. It was comfortable in here. Not just for the furniture and the atmosphere, but mainly the company. The Captain evoked a calmness in Lee that he had never experienced before. While there was some awkwardness (mainly on Lee’s part, given the fact that he seemed so taken with the other man), it was still mostly relaxed sitting here. 

He had been able to push his thoughts and feelings to the background, considering that he only saw the Captain a few times a day for brief times. But the truth of the matter was that ever since he had first laid eyes on the man, he had felt this stirring in his heart and in his soul. It was not something he was used to experiencing and he had tried to mark it up to the situation he had been in, but he knew better.

He had no dreams or illusions that those feelings would ever be reciprocated. That thought never crossed his mind, but that wasn’t true at all, was it? Those thoughts has crossed his mind; while he cooked; while he slept; while he walked around and talked, and breathed. Not good, definitely not good.

“I should go eat,” Lee stood, rather abruptly. “I still have some things to do before turning in for the night also. Martin says we will go ashore early in the morning.”

“Yes,” Richard stated, watching Lee as he made his way to the door. “As early as the sun will permit.”

“I’ll be ready.” Lee wasn’t really sure if that was true or not, but he planned on it being so. He was just about to leave, awkwardly so, he berated himself, when Martin came through the door once again, nearly hitting Lee in the face with said door.

“I have had it! I am tossing those two overboard!” 

Lee took his exit, and as he took the stairs as fast as he could to the lower level, he came across James standing in the hall, soaking wet from head to toe and the awful scent of rotten fish wafting from his direction. He was laughing.

“I don’t care what Martin says,” he began, brushing fish scales off of his shirt. “Dean and Aidan make sure life is never boring.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all reading this fic and I appreciate everyone who takes the time to leave comments and kudos! 
> 
> Thanks Sis, for editing for me. Sometimes I am just daft!


	10. Break of Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Richard's POV, finally!

The sun had not yet made its way onto the horizon, but Captain Richard lay in his bed, wide awake as he had been for a few hours already. 

He’d had a conversation with his nephews, but he got the feeling that his words went in one ear and out the other, as was the usual. They would obey him for a little while, a few days, maybe a week, and then be right back at their pranks again. While it annoyed most of the crew, he could understand why they did this. They were young and were stuck on a ship that spent most of its time at sea. There was plenty for them to do, work wise, Martin saw to that, but boredom was not alleviated by work, tasks, and chores. In fact, it only made it worse in some situations, and so the two boys did what they could to assuage the monotony the best way they knew how.

He should take Martin’s advice and send them back to their mother, at least for a little while. Dis would straighten them up, but he didn’t think that was fair at all. They were just trying to amuse themselves and likely the others as well, the emphasis being on _trying_ here, and while traveling the world was an experience for them, he couldn’t expect them to behave all the time. Adam, however, didn’t act out, but then he was not as free-spirited as Aidan and Dean.

But his nephews and their antics weren’t the only things on his mind. Truth be told, they weren’t the only people – or person to be more exact. 

When his mother had contacted him out of the blue and asked him to find the son of a friend of hers’, he hadn’t expected anything out of the ordinary. It was amazing how coincidence reared its head at the strangest of times. 

If he had known who the son was, he might have turned her down. He had been in the Hidden Cove whenever he got a chance to, and had been going there for several months when he had gotten the request from his mother. He had been watching the performances there, but there had been one in particular that he enjoyed most of all.

How could he not have seen that Calpernia Addams was not a real woman, but a man dressed as a woman, a very convincing one at that? And what were the odds that the man pretending to be a woman, a woman that the Captain himself had been most intrigued by, was the same man that he was supposed to kidnap and keep safe?

He felt like such an idiot, or at least he had felt like an idiot – a fool, but now that feeling was deteriorating at an alarming rate. Alarming because, now that he knew the truth, something strange and unexpected was happening.

He found himself being just as fascinated by the man as much as he had been by the woman that he so easily portrayed. 

Granted, Lee wasn’t the first man who had caught his eye, but he had been much younger the last time it had happened, and he certainly hadn’t expected it to go anywhere at all. 

Lee was different, in a great many ways. He was shy and self-conscious, the complete opposite of how he had been as Calpernia. But he had jumped head first into cooking for the crew; accepting where he was and why, and doing his best to fit in what must be a strange situation, and also an upsetting one. To find out that his own father would rather he be the equivalent of a vegetable than who he truly was had to be difficult to come to terms with. But he seemed to be handling it much better than most would. 

And he smiled so easily, and it seemed to Richard that when he did, everything lit up around him. And not just the room, but dark places in one’s heart and in one’s soul that had never had light shown upon them before. It was rare, the times that Richard felt the need to smile himself, but when Lee did so, it was almost impossible not to. A quiet, private person himself, Richard found it almost impossible to be that way around Lee when it was just the two of them. Of course, it was only the two of them when Lee brought his meals to him, which he would really love to change. He would love to spend more time with the other man, but he didn’t see how it was possible without it being blatantly obvious as to what his true motives were. Hell, he had already more or less told Lee the other day that he would like to spend more time with him. Luckily enough, Lee didn’t seem put-off by the suggestion. In fact, he had once again been smiling his beautiful smile, if Richard recalled correctly.

Remembering that he had forgotten to take his dishes down to the galley the night before, thanks to Martin and his ranting and raving over Aidan and Dean, he got out of the bed to do just that. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, just enough light to see the outline of the island not far off the starboard bow. For some reason, looking at the island, he had a strange notion that they should not go ashore, that something was amiss, but he ignored it, chalking it up to being paranoid, and picked the tray up off of the table. But, instead of going to the door that led onto the deck, he went to the very back of his cabin.

In the back of his room, he hit a switch and a panel opened up to reveal an elevator, roughly big enough for one man, or two if they were plastered together. This is how he often took his dirty dishes down to the galley or how he got below decks without being seen. Most of his crew knew about it, but pretended it didn’t exist because they were not allowed to use it at all.

The elevator was slow, but surprisingly quiet. Once it stopped, he hit another button on the floor and the door slid open, and he stopped in mid-step out of surprise.

Lee was already up and in the kitchen, preparing breakfast before they made for the island. He had several pans going: one scrambling eggs, another one frying ham, and yet another with the beginnings of gravy. All the while he was singing softly to himself, a song Richard knew well for it was one Calpernia had sang often and sang well. 

Richard found himself frozen to the spot, as quiet as can be as to not spoil the moment. The song was a slow and beautiful melody, about love and how one’s heart could beat to the tune of the emotion itself. It was just as haunting now as it had been all the times he had heard it before.

He stood there and listened to the entire song having been fortunate enough to enter the galley when Lee had just begun to sing it. When the song was over, Richard was shocked that his mouth opened and words came out of their own accord.

“I would applaud, but my hands are full,” he said.

Lee jumped; dropping the spoon he had been using to stir the gravy, and nearly knocking the pan to the floor. He righted himself, reached down to pick up the spoon, before turning to the sound of Richard’s voice. 

“How? When?” Lee was so startled he couldn’t form whole sentences.

“Private elevator from my cabin. Long enough to hear the entire song.” He sat the tray next to the sink, which already had fresh soapy water in it, and dumped the dishes into it. He reached over and plucked the spoon from Lee’s hand and added it to the hot water. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you. I didn’t think anyone else would be up.”

“I wanted to make breakfast before we set out,” Lee explained, motioning to the pans behind him. “Oh, shit!” He reached for another spoon, stirring the gravy with one hand, while picking up the tongs to tend to the ham. Cursing again, he turned over the ham quickly, and then grabbed the other spoon to stir the scrambled eggs. 

“Here, let me help.” Richard took the spoon from Lee and set about taking care of the scrambled eggs, managing to get them stirred up enough to still be considered scrambled. 

“Thank you,” Lee said. The ham he placed on a plate before adding more to the pan. The gravy he sat to the side. He then retrieved the biscuits from the oven, breathing a sigh of relief that they weren’t burnt. Then he turned toward Richard, doing that smiling thing again, and the Captain could have sworn that the sun had just decided to jump from dawn to high noon in the room. And, once again, he could not help but smile back. “I got it now. Thanks.” Lee reached for the pan and the spoon, and Richard was sure it was not just him when time seemed to stop as their hands touched in the exchange. In fact, he was absolutely sure of it when he saw the blush that colored Lee’s cheeks. And maybe he held onto the implements just a little longer than necessary just to prolong the contact.

Lee averted his eyes as he moved to place the pan in an empty space on the counter. Richard had the insane notion at that moment to want to know what the space behind the other man’s ear smelled like, how soft the skin was there, and if Lee’s body would tremble if he was to allow himself to do such a thing. And he was tempted, _so_ tempted, to do just that when Martin walked into the galley.

“Has anyone bothered to put on the fucking coffee yet?”

And that was how the day started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, sis, for being my beta! Your suggestions are well received and appreciated!


	11. Paradise Found

Lee stood on the beach, his toes wiggling in the wet sand. Surprisingly, he had never stood with his bare feet in the sand before, and though the water was a tad bit cold, he didn’t mind when it rolled in over his feet, foaming around his ankles. 

But he didn’t have long to enjoy the sensation. The rest of the crew was already at the jungle line. Sighing, he slipped his boots back on, having to hop on one foot and then the other to get them all the way on, and ran to catch up with the others. 

The sounds of the jungle were a resonance of bird calls, monkey chatter, and exotic bug buzzing that Lee found delightful. Above him, the branches swayed and jostled with the movement of animals he could not see, the foliage so thick the sunlight could only peep through in few places. 

“Stop gawking like an idiot and come on,” Graham hollered back at him. “If you don’t keep up, you’ll get lost and we'll lose daylight trying to find you.”

Lee stopped dragging his feet, crestfallen at not getting to experience the island and the animals that inhabited it, but he didn’t want to get lost and cause trouble, so he resigned himself to keeping with the group and not getting sidetracked. 

They walked for hours and Lee began to like the jungle less and less the more they traveled. Not only were the animal, bird, and bug noises becoming more and more annoying as time went on, but it began to get hotter and more humid. By the time they stopped at a small stream to rest and have their lunch of crackers and cheese, his shirt was stuck to him and his feet felt raw from all the walking. 

Lee sat down on a log, mindful of bugs, and more importantly, snakes, as he did so. He removed his boots, hissing as he did. His feet were blistered and sore. Some of the blisters had already burst and were painfully raw. 

“That doesn’t look good.” 

Lee looked up to find Richard standing over him. “Sorry,” Lee mumbled. He should have had the common sense to stay on the ship being unused to this kind of activity of walking through a jungle. He realized how spoiled he was. 

“It’s okay,” Richard said. He turned to his crew who were packing up and getting ready to set off again. “Hey, guys, you go on ahead. We’ll catch up.”

Everyone agreed and set off, soon disappearing from sight. Lee could still hear them though, talking and laughing as they went. He now felt even more embarrassed because now he was alone with the Captain of all people and was being bothersome for having delicate feet. 

“I’ll be fine.” He winced as he tried to put one of his boots back on. It was going to hurt like hell but he was not about to be a nuisance anymore than he already was. 

“No, you won’t,” Richard reached down and took the boot from him and then picked up the other one also. “Come on. I know something that will help with those blisters.”

He took Lee’s arm and helped him stand and then, Lee’s boots in one hand, put his arm around his waist to aid him in walking. Lee was a little taken aback, but was not complaining because not only did he require the aid in walking, but it was not an unpleasant sensation being this close to the other man. Not at all, if only the circumstances were a bit different.

They walked along in silence for a bit, and soon Lee could hear a strange sound. “What is that?” He wondered out loud. He could only describe it as water rushing, a great amount of water. 

“You’ll see,” was all Richard would say. 

____________

Aidan and Dean were snickering. Martin hated it when they did that.

“What are you two going on about?” His tone was nothing short of vexation. 

“They are laughing because their uncle is staying behind with Lee,” James offered. He was smiling also, a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

“He is asking for nothing but trouble,” Ken grumbled, shaking his head. “It was bad enough he risked his life going to see that woman, Calpernia, every chance he got, but now _this_.” He waved his hand back toward the clearing where the Captain and Lee were. “I thought when he told us that _she_ was a _he_ that it was over and done with. It would make sense that once he found out the woman he had been pining over for the better part of 2 years was actually a man he would let it go, but I don’t think that is what is happening.”

“And what is so wrong with that?” Adam piped up. Ken glared at him over his shoulder and Adam put his head down and kept walking.

“And what business is it of ours who the Captain takes up with?” Mark added. How the man could knit and not trip over anything was a mystery, but no one could complain about the sweaters that he made them when they were in colder climates. “I was surprised when he took an interest in Miss Addams. You know how he is: sitting in his cabin alone, even when we are in port. He never goes out and has any fun or seeks out company of any kind.”

“And that is not healthy at all,” Aidan said with a sagely nod. “Our uncle is a gentleman of fine quality.” Dean was nodding enthusiastically. “He should have someone special in his life. Someone who makes him happy and if that is Lee, so be it.”

Ken snorted. “I am not disagreeing with that. Not all of it. I am saying that it is bad enough that the Navy is after us, but if people were to find out that a man had taken up with another man in that fashion, there could be trouble. In some places, they hang people for that sort of thing.”

“The Captain can take care of himself,” Martin chimed in. Mark was right – it wasn’t any of their business. In fact, Martin was kind of glad for it. The Captain sulked too damn much. It was depressing to watch. “And it isn’t like we are going to go around fucking advertising it.”

“Of course we aren’t,” Graham said. The jungle line came into view. They were approaching the clearing where their supplies were being stored. “Now, can we just get what we came for and get back.”

“Something wrong?” Martin, as well as the rest of the crew, had learned to pay attention to Graham and his actions. He was a veteran sea dog and warrior. When something was wrong, he would know it long before anyone else, save maybe the Captain and right now he was giving off signs that he was uneasy about something.

“I don’t know.” Graham had his weapon at the ready. A double bladed axe, sharpened and well cared for. It had served him well over the years. “Something is just off. Have you noticed how quiet it is all of a sudden?”

Everyone stopped in their tracks and listened. It was quiet. Very quiet. Something was definitely wrong.

Everyone held their breath and Graham pushed back some low hanging vines to gaze out into the clearing, and when he did, they knew exactly what was wrong. 

They weren’t alone on the island.

____________________

They had broken through the jungle and into what Lee could only describe as the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. A waterfall was gushing water over rocks and down into a pool of water so clear and so blue. Looking at it had made him want to dive into and swim around. He could spend hours here, days even, and be content. Flowers of bright red and dazzling yellow dotted the area and the rocks were covered in green moss. Richard had sat him down on one such rock, the moss soft beneath him, and went over to a strange looking plant.

“This is aloe,” Richard was explaining. He knelt in front of Lee, and, taking one of his feet gently in hand, began to smear the clear liquid from where he had cut the long leaf from the plant onto the blisters. It was refreshing and cool to Lee’s injured skin while the area where the Captain held his foot was warm and tingling. 

Richard treated both feet carefully, making sure that each blistered area was very well covered with the aloe. Once he was finished, he made sure that Lee’s feet were set on a flat rock away from the water and from dirt. He looked up at the younger man, who was blushing madly, and was almost instantly enraptured by how he looked. 

The sun was peaking over the tree line, indicating that noon was approaching, and its rays were creating a halo of golden light around the younger man, dancing on his hair, and the bit of skin showing where his shirt was hanging off of one shoulder. Freckles dotted the skin there, so tempting to reach out and touch. All he had to do was lift up on his knees and he could bury his hand in the soft brown hair at the nape of Lee’s neck and pull him the few inches or so down. Just that one simple movement and he could taste those lips and drink Lee in like he was a man dying of thirst.

And it was simple. And so quick, almost imperceptible. Lee was looking at him with anticipation and a little anxiety, but he offered no resistance as he was pulled down and his head tilted, and definitely didn’t struggle as lips found his. And it was wonderful and mesmerizing and breathtaking and –

“We’re under attack!”

And the moment was shattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot about Rich's fear of deep water, but it is a good thing considering he is a pirate captain. 
> 
> Thanks to my sis, lost_kitty for being my beta and her input. She is always right on it!  
> And to all reading, as always, i appreciate it!


	12. Paradise Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Action! Of the sword fighting kind.

Graham’s voice carried to them and in a second Richard was up, drawing the sword that was strapped to his side. 

“Stay here,” he told Lee and took off running for the trees and was soon gone from sight. Lee sat there, on the rock, his eyes wide, his lips still tingling, his body coming down from the high that it had been climbing, and he was still in a daze. Graham’s shout had pierced his fog-addled brain, but it was taking a while for the rest of him to catch up.

“Damn!” He swore. He found his boots and slipped them on. The aloe had made them feel much better, but they still protested having the boots put back on. It didn’t matter. He had to help. He couldn’t just sit here and let the crew face whatever it was that was attacking and wonder what was going on. He had been trained to use a sword when he was younger. There was just one problem with that now: he didn’t have one on him. Martin had given him a dagger, and assured Lee that he wouldn’t even need that. They just carried their weapons out of habit. He was glad they had.

He followed the trail that Richard had left as well as he could, dagger drawn, and cursing at every step. He knew he was going in the right direction because the sounds of battle were getting louder as he moved forward. He wasn’t sure what he was going to find when he got there, or even if he would be able to do anything, but he had to try and help.

When he came upon the battle, he had to stop and take it all in for a second. The crew was fighting creatures that he had never seen before, so he hadn’t the slightest clue what they were.

They were ugly, that was for sure. They had muddled gray skin, large clawed feet, and misshapen faces that were the stuff of nightmares. Beady eyes, craggy teeth, and carried vicious looking swords and wore crude armor. Most had hideous scars and bones and pieces of metal embedded in their foreheads and cheeks. They ranged in size from taller than the Captain and Graham, who were the tallest amongst the crew, to almost childlike in stature. 

Being trained to fight and actually fighting were two different things, so Lee was unsure of what to do. So far, the creatures, whatever they were, hadn’t noticed him, and he didn’t want to get in the way, so he ducked behind a tree, dagger drawn just in case, and prayed that no one of the crew got hurt or worse.

_________________

The Captain and his crew, however, knew exactly what these creatures were. They had fought them before.

They were orcs.

Richard had practically frozen in place when he had come to the clearing, the clearing where their supplies were supposed to be, and found his men battling orcs. That could only mean one thing: that the Dragon had learned of this place and set a trap for them. It shouldn’t have been possible, but here they were battling the crew.

Spurring himself forward, he raised his sword and slashed at the first orc he came to. It let out a screech and turned toward him, crude weapon raised, and Richard ran it through the gut. The orc let out a curse as its dying breath and then slid off the blade and to the ground. The Captain had already moved on by then.

Aidan had his back to Dean who was holding orcs off with a sword while his brother took them out with a cross bow, one specially designed and made to fire more than one bolt without having to be reloaded after each shot. And he was a damn good shot, too, but the beasts just kept coming, spilling out of the jungle and it seemed as if three were taking the place of every one that was killed.

Graham was using brute strength to hold them back, literally knocking them down with every swing of his weapon. While one side of the weapon head was an axe blade, the other side was flat, resembling a large hammer head. He would swing the axe side into an orc, and then swing the orc around knocking over others in the immediate area before shaking the creature loose and leading with the hammer side, knocking still more over.

John used a long, hollow…stick. While it looked like it was made of wood, or maybe even just bamboo, it was actually metal, polished to a shine, made to look like it was just wood. He spun around in a slow circle, spinning the pole out around him, knocking orcs to and fro.

While the others used swords, axes, oversized hammers or, in James’ case, a pickaxe, Stephen used a long-handled cast iron pot. The hollow _thump_ every time it hit an orc in the head brought a smile to the other members of the crew in spite of the situation. And while many of them would say his use of the pot in the kitchen was not a great one, in battle it certainly was.

“We need to fall back. There are too many of them!” Graham yelled when he saw his Captain. 

Richard hated that they would have to, and it was a long way back to the ship, being chased by orcs, but they had no choice. If they stayed too long, it would be disastrous for them. Some of his crew was already wounded, unable to hold back the never ending tide of creatures. Just as he was about to give the order to his men to run for it, an orc jumped at him, driving its sword through his shoulder and falling on top of him as its momentum sent them to the ground. The sword pierced his shoulder, going through and into the ground underneath him, pinning him to the spot. The orc snarled at him, releasing its grip on the handle of the sword, and drawing a dagger from its belt. Just as it raised it though, to strike, its body jerked and its face went slack. Dropping the dagger, it fell over and was shoved to the side.

Richard looked up to see Lee standing there, a dagger in his hand, the blade coated with orc blood. 

“I thought I told you to stay at the waterfall,” Richard stated. He reached up and tried to pull the sword free but he couldn’t reach the handle.

“You’re welcome,” Lee snapped, clearly scared of what was happening, but the Captain could see the worry in his eyes as well. “And I’m sorry about this.” Richard was confused as to what the younger man was apologizing for until Lee gripped the sword handle and yanked the blade free from his shoulder. Richard gritted his teeth together, issuing a growled curse at the pain. 

“Behind you!” He warned, still through clenched teeth. 

He watched, rather amazed, as Lee turned, sword gripped in both hands, and slashed down, cutting the orc that had been coming up behind him from shoulder to the opposite hip, felling the creature. He then reversed the sword and embedded it in the stomach of another orc coming from his right side. He appeared as stunned as the Captain was. 

He helped Richard to his feet. As he looked around, Richard saw that the once steady flow of orcs seemed to be slowing. 

“Everyone, back to the ship! Hurry!” He ordered.

Those not wounded helped the ones who were, and together they began to run back the way toward the ship. While his shoulder hurt terribly and was bleeding profusely, Richard was still able to grip his sword in that hand. With his other, he took Lee’s empty hand and pulled him along as they made their escape. More orcs were coming out of the jungle now behind them, and the Captain wondered just how many of them there were and where they were all coming from. He also couldn’t help but wonder if the ship would even be there because if the Dragon was here, if he was the one behind this, then he would not hesitate to sink another of Richard’s ships.

They ran on. Even when they were sure they were not being followed, which was a surprise to them all, they ran and kept running until they hit the beach. Aidan and Dean, out in front of everyone, made it to the boats first. Both of them had managed to get away with only a few cuts and scrapes, so they each took a boat and began shoving them into the water. Once done, they held them for everyone as they climbed on board, and then took up the oars. 

Richard was very glad to find the ship still intact where they had left it. He scanned the horizon, not seeing any other ships, and hoped it stayed that way. He helped Lee into a boat and then climbed in behind him. Out of habit, he counted to make sure all the crew was in either boat, and, seeing that they all were present and accounted for, settled back as Aidan and Graham guided the boat out to sea while Dean and Adam manned the other boat’s oars. 

Soon, they would be safely back aboard their ship and would weigh anchor as soon as possible. Their secret island was no longer a secret, and they hadn’t gotten their provisions, but at least they were alive and, for the most part, well. 

Richard cringed when Lee peeled his shirt back to look at his shoulder wound. It was still bleeding, but not too badly considering. “It’ll be fine,” Richard whispered. They were sitting in the back of the boat, and the crew members who didn’t have their back to them, were not paying attention. Glad to be alive, glad that his crew was alive, and his ship undamaged, though still upset and confused about the orcs, Richard pulled Lee closer to him. He buried his face in the younger man’s hair, breathing him in deeply. “You can tend to me once we are back on board the ship.” 

It was a promise that held much more meaning than just tending to his wound. Lee nodded, putting his arms around the other man and watched the ship get closer and closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to lost_kitty for being my beta and my sis!!!
> 
> And the next chapter...there will be action of a different kind!


	13. Tending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally...sorta.

Once onboard the ship, Ken, Mark and William took over tending to the wounded. Aidan, Dean, and Martin saw to getting this ship ready to sail. Deciding that the best course was just to get away from the island as quickly as possible, they didn’t bother with the sails at all and instead got the engine up and running. Anchor up and engine on, they made their way back out into the open sea, destination unknown until they were a safe distance away.

The Captain was ordered by Ken to his cabin while everyone else was sent to the crew quarters. Ken, who Mark explained was a master at mixing herbs, went about doing just that, while William checked over the crew. James had a gash on the side of his head, blood running down his face. Graham had a cut over one eye, and the eye itself was swollen shut, and marred by a dark purple bruise. He insisted that he was fine, and bellowed at Mark and William to tend to the others first. Mark was limping. Adam had a busted nose. Peter was complaining of being dizzy and he was bleeding from the back of his head. John had a broken arm, which William was preparing to set.

Mark handed Lee a bowl. In it was a bottle of a thick, pale green liquid, some bandages, a few towels, and some thread and needle. 

“Go take care of the Captain’s wounds,” he instructed as he handed Lee a pitcher of water, and then shoved him toward the door. “You do know how to clean and stitch up a wound, correct?” Lee nodded wordlessly. “Good. Go on. We got this covered down here.”

Lee nodded again and took the stairs up to the deck. He could hear the engine droning loudly as it propelled the ship ahead at full speed, and once on the deck, Lee took a moment to watch as the island became smaller and smaller. He glanced up at Martin, who was at the helm, but the Quartermaster was focused on the sea in front of them and nothing else. 

He didn’t even think to knock as he entered the Captain’s cabin. Upon doing so, he stopped in his tracks. The Captain had his back to him, his shirt off, and lying in a heap on the floor. Blood covered the skin of most of his left side from the wound, but Lee could only stare at the play of muscles under skin as the man poured an uncorked bottle of dark liquor over his shoulder. He cursed at the pain and then tossed the bottle across the room where it shattered into pieces against the wall. The noise shook Lee from his ogling. He was ashamed by the fact that he had been ogling.

“Sit down. Let me see to that.” Lee sat down his supplies on the table and pulled a chair out for the other man to sit. Richard came over and sat.

“How are the others?” He asked.

“Mark, Ken, and William are tending to them.” Lee took one of the towels and poured water over it. “There are some serious injuries, but nothing life threatening.” He began to wipe the blood from the other man’s shoulder, chest, and back, trying to keep his mind on the task and not to let his eyes wander too much. 

Richard only grunted in response. He remained still and quiet as Lee finished cleaning the blood and then tended to the wound. He sewed up both the blade wounds, covered them with the green liquid, and then bandaged them all with steady hands and with as much gentle care as he could. 

“There,” Lee stated. He had one hand on the Captain’s shoulder and somehow the other had found its way to rest on the older man’s chest, lying over his heart. Lee could feel it pounding beneath his hand, strong and true, and was perfectly aware when the tempo began to pick up. His heart also was beating faster. “That should…That…” He was mesmerized by the soft, warm skin, and the heat that was suddenly radiating between them. “I should…I really should – “

Richard stood suddenly, his hands gripping Lee’s upper arms, and pulled him closer. His lips found Lee’s with more force than he had intended, but the tension he was feeling was making him aggressive in his need. He wasn’t going to ask the younger man for his permission: as far as he was concerned he already had it after everything that had happened on the island.

Lee was beyond caring. His mind was already so far gone that all he was aware of was moist lips moving against his own, pressing hard against him. Finally. And then a tongue was running along his bottom lip seeking entry and he gave it without hesitation, moving his body even closer to deepen the contact. He felt a strong need to get as close to the other man as physically possible, and he was almost desperate to feel Richard filling him, wanting him to claim him however he wanted to.

Richard was reeling from the feeling of Lee’s tongue gliding along his, not backing away from his advances in the slightest, but the need to breath made him pull away, only so far though. His lips were still barely touching Lee’s as they both drew in quivering breaths, sharing each other’s air and it was exhilarating to experience, drawing the other man’s every exhale into his body and vice versa. 

Richard released his death grip on Lee’s upper arms, one hand coming up to caress the side of his face, running a thumb over cheekbone and eyelid, over the long eyelashes and thick eyebrow. Their bodies were so close he could feel Lee’s heart pounding. He nuzzled the side of Lee’s nose with his, his lips grazing Lee’s top lip before placing an open mouthed kiss there. He felt Lee’s hands, trembling ever so slightly, as they came to rest on his hips.

While he had been determined not to ask permission before, he felt compelled to do it now. “Do you want this?” He asked, his voice deep and breathless. He had the brief thought that if Lee told him ‘no’, he would take him anyway. He needn’t have worried.

“I do,” Lee answered. More brazen than Richard gave him credit for, Lee stuck his tongue out, running it along Richard’s bottom lip. “More than anything.” And it was true, so true, as Lee gently sucked Richard’s bottom lip into his mouth. 

Richard felt his cock twitch and moaned at the sensation. His hands raced down, clutching Lee’s backside and pulling his pelvis toward him, creating a marvelous friction as their clothed erections rubbed against each other. Lee gasped, releasing Richard’s lip when he did so. 

“I’m going to take you to my bed now,” Richard stated as he moved them across the room. “And once there, that is where you will stay.” As they moved, his hands were busy removing the younger man’s shirt, separating just enough to pull it over Lee’s head and toss it away. “You’ll be mine, and only mine. Do you understand that?”

Lee nodded. “I understand,” he whispered. “Yours and only yours.” It was something that he didn’t mind at all.

Richard pulled him back to him, crushing him against him, his mouth almost vicious in the kiss that was given. Lee was beside himself with need and the possessive nature of the Captain. He knew that most people would be repulsed by the idea of ‘belonging’ to someone else; to be claimed by a lover on a level more than physical, but Lee wasn’t one of those. He didn’t mind in the slightest. In fact, he welcomed it, wanted it, and needed it. And that it was this man, this gorgeous, damn near perfect man, that wanted him on so many levels, sent his mind reeling and his body reacting more to his advances than it ever had before.

Richard broke the kiss once again, leaving Lee panting, his mouth open slightly, and he actually whimpered when hands skimmed over his body, not too gently but not uncomfortably rough, as they slid over his shoulders and chest. His whimper turned into a moan as fingers pinched his already lust hardened nipples. 

Lee, emboldened, reached down and cupped Richard’s hardened member through the confines of his breeches. Richard growled, actually _growled_ , and, grabbing Lee by his hips, flung him sideways. Lee landed on the bed with a laugh and scooted as far back as he could, shoulders, and head against the wall. Eyes smoldering with desire, he spread his legs, invitingly, need setting fire to his blood. He felt like a wanton whore, but he would gladly take up that mantle for this man and this man alone.

Richard didn’t hesitate to crawl onto the bed, but instead of taking his place between the spread thighs, he pulled Lee’s boots free one at a time, before reaching to undo his belt and the ties of his breeches. He stood again, taking Lee’s pants legs by the bottom and yanked them off, Lee rising up just enough to make sure he wasn’t pulled along with them. Once they were tossed aside, leaving the younger man completely naked to his soon-to-be-lover’s view, Richard took a moment to admire what was lain out before him, so readily, and so willingly. The sight made him grow even harder still, and he fumbled with his belt, wanting nothing more to get the rest of his clothes off, and fuck the younger man senseless.

But his hands seemed unable to work the fastenings of his trousers and he cursed, his fingers clawing at the fabric. Then Lee’s hands covered his, and moved them away. He looked down into Lee’s eyes, so vibrant and open, and Lee watched him back, a smile on his face, and his tongue darted out to lick dry lips and then he bit his lower lip as his hands undid the fastenings quickly but skillfully. Once the fastenings were undone, he guided the breeches over the Captain’s hips and then let them fall around his feet. 

Richard was about to step out of them, when the younger man took him by surprise by grabbing his hardened cock at the base. Lee ran his hand slowly up the pulsing shaft, and once at the head, used his fingers to slide the foreskin back and licked the precum from the head before delving his tongue into the slit. 

Richard let out a cry of pleasure, his hands tangling in soft brown hair, nails scratching Lee’s scalp. With a great amount of will he pushed Lee away, back onto the bed. Lee’s mouth felt wonderful on him, but he didn’t want it to go this way. Later, most definitely, but right now he just wanted to be buried inside of the young man as deep and as far as he could get. 

He had sense enough before joining the younger man on the bed to think of getting something to ease his passage. He was unable to get his mind focused enough to remember where anything was in his cabin.

“You should know,” Lee began, hesitantly, “that I have never done this before.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry. So sorry. But I didn't want a chapter that was twice as long as all the others so I asked lost_kitty where I should split it up and this is where.
> 
> Thanks to my sis for being my beta. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone reading! I hope you are enjoying it.
> 
> The next chapter...well, you know.


	14. Cultivate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enough teasing. Sorry about that. Really I am. lost_kitty, I gave a co-author on ths one. Should have on the last chapter also. Thank you. And I hope I fixed the 'oil situation' enough. ^^

Richard focused on him, his mouth agape in disbelief. “Really?” Lee nodded. “Oh!” Richard honestly didn’t know what to say to that. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that the younger man had never been with another man before. He wouldn’t have believed it was true even if he had thought about it. And just moments before the other man had seemed so confident, sure of what he was doing and what he wanted. Then the realization that he would be the very first one to claim this beautiful man slammed into him like a brick wall and made his cock even harder if that was possible. And the last, if he had any say in the matter, a possessive part of his mind whispered. Mine. 

Richard took a deep breath to calm himself. Moments before he had been ready to thrust into Lee without a second thought, but now, knowing that Lee had never done this before, his outlook changed. Lee was still willing to lay with him, in spite of his inexperience, _wanted_ to be taken by him and that became more meaningful to Richard than the act alone. He had to gain control of himself because he didn’t want to hurt Lee, either physically or emotionally. He didn’t want this experience to be unpleasant or more painful than it had to be, and make him feel cheap and used, and reluctant the next time because the memory of this first time was a disagreeable one. Now the need for lubricant was even more desperate.

He watched Lee as he slid back toward the edge of the bed, and his first thought was that the younger man had changed his mind and was going to gather his things and leave, but then Lee began searching around under the bed, finally coming up with a small bag. He sat it down on the bed next to him and opened it up.

“When I moved my belongings out of here, I left this behind because I keep perfume bottles in here. Some of them are expensive and I didn’t want them to get broken. I also have a jar of oil in here that I use for dry skin and for my hair.” He produced the bottle, holding it out to Richard. “Coconut oil.”

Richard sighed, taking the jar, and bending down to kiss the younger man, more gently this time, more in appreciation than anything. Lee shoved the bag back under the bed and then took his place, head and shoulders pressed against the wall, legs spread, and this time Richard crawled up between them, settling down on his knees. 

“No matter what I do, this is going to be uncomfortable for a while,” Richard warned. He opened the jar and scooped some out with his fingers, holding it in between his hands to warm it. “Okay?” Lee nodded, and then the little bastard even lifted his hips up off the bed, which must have put some more strain on his neck given the way he was leaning against the wall.

Richard sat the jar, still opened, on the headboard to his left. There were a few small shelves there where he mostly kept books, but he had removed them all months ago, and now the only things there were dust and cobwebs. The oil he placed as close to the lamp as possible, hoping the flame would warm it enough to liquefy it since he doubted he would have the patience to wait for it later on. 

Sliding his fingers over Lee’s calf, over his knee and down his thigh, leaving a trail of coconut oil, he finally reached what he sought and as the pads of his fingers grazed over the puckered entrance, he felt Lee tense. “Shh, love. Relax.” The endearment slipped out naturally, neither of them really taking notice.

Lee nodded again and took a deep breath. It was only a short time, a few breaths, before Richard felt the ring of muscle relax, and not giving the other man any time to tense up again, he slipped one finger in knuckle deep. Lee shudders, his breath hitching. But instead of pulling away or clenching against the intrusion, he actually spread his legs wider and lifted his ass higher into the air as his hands clasped the bed sheets tightly in his hands. 

It didn’t take Richard long to find that spot and when he did Lee cried out, rocking against the incursion. When he added to second finger, the other man whimpered in discomfort, but spurred him on by continuing to rock up and down with his hips. He scissored his fingers several times, slowly, making himself take his time, savoring every second. This glorious man was his and his alone. And every time he hit that bundle of nerves, precum would leak out of Lee’s cock onto his abdomen and he would shudder and moan. His own cock felt as if it were about to burst he was so hard, but he was determined to be patient, but it was taking almost all his will power to do so.

But his patience only went so far. He was only human after all. He grabbed the jar again as he removed his fingers. This time he poured a considerable amount into the palm of his hand and then used it to coat his neglected cock. He barely managed to set the jar back without spilling it all over the place. He gripped Lee’s thighs, holding him steady as he lined himself up with the younger man’s stretched entrance, and without any more preamble, pushed inside. Not fully and certainly not forcefully, just a few inches to allow Lee to get used to the sensation.

Lee cried out, pressing his head and shoulders back against the wall, hands twisting the bed sheets into knots. He took several deep breaths and Richard watched him closely. After a few moments, Lee nodded, relaxing somewhat, and loosening his death grip on the sheets. 

He couldn’t help but groan as he pushed farther inside of the other man. Lee was impossibly tight and hot, and it felt as if every inch of his cock was being caressed. By the time he was fully sheathed, sweat was dripping in his eyes; his hair was plastered to the skin of his face and neck. He hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until it was expelled from his lungs. He leaned over, setting his weight on his hands on either side of Lee’s torso as Lee’s legs unexpectedly wrapped around his waist, pulling him inside just a little bit deeper. 

He began thrusting shallowly and Lee soon found a rhythm with him, moving his hips in time with his thrusts. Once that was established, Richard shifted his angle until he hit that bundle of nerves, and when he did Lee cried out again, this time in pleasure. His hands left the mangled sheets, and grasped Richard’s upper arms, nails digging into his skin enough to leave crescent shaped marks. He was moaning and gasping, and when he wasn’t doing that, the words that he was trying to say were incoherent.

Richard could feel it, his completion swirling in the pit of his stomach and then spiraling downward to his balls. Balancing on one hand, he took the other, a little stiff from the sword wound (he was going to regret abusing it in the morning but would worry about that later) and gripped Lee’s erection, working it in time with his thrusts. Lee was nearly delirious and the sounds he was making were getting louder the closer he got to orgasm. Richard’s thrusts became erratic and it felt as if Lee were getting tighter and tighter around him, squeezing him to the point to where he could barely thrust anymore. When his climax finally washed over him, he found himself crying out, the sound issuing from him guttural in nature, shooting ribbons of semen deep inside the younger man every time his cock pulsed, and he rode it out, thrusting as deep as he was able to, followed by a slow grinding against Lee’s prostate. 

Lee’s fingernails were drawing blood now and he came with a cry, his entire body tensing up as he spilled his seed over Richard’s hand and his own stomach. When the spasms from his climax were over, he slumped back against the wall, his breathing erratic, and his legs releasing their grip on Richard’s waist to fall bonelessly back to the bed. 

Unable to hold himself up anymore, Richard pulled himself free, a string of semen following his now softened cock out, both of them hissing at the loss of the connection, and flopped down on the bed.

It took a few more moments for Lee to move. His shoulders and neck were rather stiff from the position he had taken against the wall, and he couldn’t feel certain parts of his anatomy (namely his ass), but he managed to sprawl out next to Richard, laying his head on the other man’s chest, making sure to avoid his shoulder, which he was sure was bleeding again. But Richard didn’t seem to mind, just as Lee didn’t mind the sticky fluid on his abdomen, and when Richard put his arm around him, pulling him closer (and only winced a bit at the pain in his shoulder), Lee felt more content and happy than he had ever thought possible, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. There ya go. I hope it was enjoyable and worth the wait. LOL!!


	15. Belonging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning After. Captain Rich is a possessive man!

The night was still. The only sounds that could be heard was the creaks that were natural of a ship made of wood and metal, and waves lapping at the hull. Each sound created a cacophony that was relaxing and soothing to those accustomed to it. The moon was shining down, filtering in through port holes and windows, setting the sea aglitter with its light, and turning frothy waves into a myriad of jewels floating on clouds of crystalline water. 

This is what Richard saw in his mind’s eye as he lay in bed, the ship still and quiet around him, the night calm and reflective around him. He could see the waves just as well as feel even their gentlest gradient against the hull. The moon was a silvery lantern outside his cabin window, bathing him in its light, and seeming to set his bed partner aglow with a hallowed aura.

But his reflection was not just on the sea and the moon. His mind contemplated that which his eyes appreciated and that his arms held as his body ached and his heart clenched in his chest.

Lee was still asleep; as well he should be since it was just after midnight. Richard could not help but smile as he watched the younger man. Lee was lying on his side, his head cushioned by Richard’s arm and a pillow. His mouth was open slightly; his breath tickling the flesh of Richard’s arm, and the Captain could swear that Lee was drooling just a little bit on him as well. 

Richard was a private man. Even though he loved his crew like they were his brothers, he kept even them at a distance. He preferred it this way. There was really no reasoning for it; that was just the way he had always been. 

But then Lee happened. Lee with his sun-warm smile. Lee with his unconscious ability to make Richard want to be close to him. Lee, who had come along and alerted every course that Richard had mapped out and followed all his days. As a sea captain, he followed the paths of the moon and the sun, his mind locked into them as his heart was locked away from the rest of the world.

And now his heart was yearning to follow its own course. For the first time his self-imposed life of solitude, even while in a crowd, was being thwarted, and it was all due to the beautiful young man in his arms. His heart wanted to follow Lee wherever he would go. It was frightening and Richard, as always, was hesitant, but there was a certain amount of recklessness to it that he craved. He wanted Lee, there was no denying that, but he also needed him. Needed him because when he was with Lee, even when he just brought him his tray of food, he finally realized that there had been a part of him missing that he hadn’t known about. He needed Lee because for once in his life he was alive.

Richard ran the knuckles of his hand over Lee’s cheek, a breath of touch, but it was enough to make the younger man stir in his sleep, though not to waking, and to smile as he snuggled closer. Richard couldn’t help but smile himself at the sight, as feelings so raw and undiluted welled up inside of him, pressing against his ribcage with the force of a hurricane.

He wasn’t ready for this, wasn’t prepared in the slightest. While everyone dreamed of finding that one person, their soul mate, to spend their lives with, to love unconditionally, he was not one of those. Sure, he knew that it could happen, but while not exactly trying to avoid it, he certainly hadn’t gone looking for it. 

Calpernia, however, had caught him off guard. He had known there had been something different about her, something about the way she had moved, the way she had smiled, that had ensnared him so wholly. Now, as he felt Lee’s breath on his skin, he understood what it had been. And while he hadn’t been prepared, he certainly wasn’t going to ignore it or rip it to shreds and be done with it. No, he believed that everything happened for a reason. Calpernia. His mother’s request. All of it had led him here, to these moments, with Lee, and he wasn’t going to let it slip away or treat it as if it meant nothing to him. Because it did mean something. It meant a great deal. Lee meant a great deal.

Happier than he had felt in a very long time, Richard did go back to sleep, for the few hours until the sun began to make its way onto the horizon. Then he laid there another hour or so, unable to pull his eyes away from that beloved face, until Lee began to stir, this time to wakefulness. 

Lee stretched and yawned and then opened his eyes, and in the early morning light filtering in through the window, his eyes took on a golden hue that was beautiful and majestic, and only made Richard want to spend the entire day in them, seeing the world as Lee did. It made Richard’s heart ache, but in the good way he never thought possible.

“Good morning,” Lee said, and then he smiled, and the sun outside didn’t stand a chance in comparison. 

“Good morning,” Richard returned just before distance was closed and their lips met. Lee’s body moved and he wasn’t just close to Richard, he was molded to him. Everything lining up so perfectly. As if made to be like this. It was heaven and all right at his fingertips. 

But was he jumping the gun, so-to-speak? He had brought Lee here to protect him. And while Lee fit in well with the crew and even cooked for them, that didn’t necessarily mean he wanted to spend the rest of his life onboard a ship. It wouldn’t be easy, but if they tried hard enough they could find a port where the Navy couldn’t reach him. There were places that hated the Navy who had ships capable of doing considerable damage to any Navy ships that might get too close to their harbors. Lee could easily find sanctuary in one of these places and make himself a new life and enjoy it.

Who was he to assume that Lee would just pass that up, alter his life to stay onboard this ship with him? Was he even right and level-headed in thinking such thoughts? Lee had only been onboard a short time and not exactly voluntarily to being with. And just because you have sex with someone once, and after some rather scary happenings no less, does not mean you are in a relationship. Maybe Lee just …

“Darling, what’s wrong?” Lee asked, breaking him out of his reverie. 

“Nothing,” Richard lied. He distracted Lee from asking any more questions, from trying to coax an answer out of him that he wasn’t ready to give, by kissing him soundly and possessively. Lee returned it, his hands wreaking havoc on the Captain as they ran over his back and side. One thing led to another, and Richard rolled the other man over, his weight pressing Lee’s back down into the bed. Lee wasted no time in spreading his legs open and Richard sank down between them, and was soon buried once again in that heat and tightness that he craved and required almost desperately. 

And he didn’t care about the volume in which Lee cried his name as he came, just as he didn’t care that he was rougher than he had been the night before, leaving bruises in the shape of his fingers on the other man’s hips, and bite marks on his neck and chest. And he sure as hell didn’t hesitate to pull out and roll Lee rather callously onto his side, hooking his knee with his arm and pulling his leg up to where it was nearly touching his side (earning a yelp of pain from Lee) as he entered him again. He pounded into him voraciously, using his other hand to shove Lee’s face into the pillow. And when he felt himself starting to come, he sat up, without removing his cock from inside of the other man, and threw Lee’s leg over his shoulder, twisting his body into what had to be an uncomfortable position, and hammered into him until he released himself deep inside. 

When he was sated, he shoved Lee away from him and collapsed back onto the bed. The second he did, he regretted the harsh treatment he had delivered. What had gotten into him? Lee had been a virgin not even 12 hours ago and had definitely not done anything to deserve anything but tenderness and kindness. Richard was just thinking of a way to apologize, when Lee cuddled up at his side, kissing his neck and jaw, his hand rubbing over his stomach and chest. He turned his head, lips finding his own in a slow but deep kiss. He pulled away to look into Lee’s eyes, finding no anger or regret or fear there. Only love and devotion that made his heart swell.

“I’m never going to let you leave me,” the Captain swore, meaning it with every fiber of his being.

Lee smiled and whispered “I know” against his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks of course to lost_kitty for cleaning this up for me. And I hope Richard doesn't come off as too much of a jerk. LOL!!
> 
> And to everyone reading: THANK YOU!!!


	16. Close Quarters

Lee waited for the elevator to descend down to the galley so he could get breakfast started. He had re-bandaged Richard’s shoulder because for some reason (he smiled to himself) some of the stitches had popped and the wound had been bleeding again. It hadn’t been an easy thing to do, to get out of bed that morning, but they had managed by sheer force of will, and after borrowing some clothing (Richard’s clothes fit him rather nicely), he had left Richard to his maps and ledgers.

The elevator came to a stop and, still smiling, Lee had just began opening the door to get out when he heard voices in the galley beyond. 

_Oh, hell…_

It was definitely Aidan, Dean, and Stephen. Taking in a deep breath and releasing it slowly, he opened the elevator door and stepped into the galley.

Three sets of eyes locked onto him as all three men fell silent. Lee froze in his steps, not understanding what was going on, and why they were looking at him like they were. 

And then Aidan and Dean began laughing like lunatics, and Stephen, though hiding it by ducking his head, was smiling as well. Lee hadn’t the foggiest clue what they were finding so amusing. That was, until Martin came in for his morning coffee.

“Morning all,” he stated, though his tone was anything but cheery. He looked at Aidan and Dean with a perplexed look on his face, but then once he saw Lee, the younger man saw the Quartermaster’s lips begin to twitch. “Oh, well, look who it is. So glad you could join us this morning. Surprising really, all things considered.”

“What?” Was all Lee could ask, confused.

“Considering the night and the morning you have had,” Martin specified, going for the coffee. “You know, all the lads took bets and not a single one thought you would be out of bed by noon.”

“Let alone walk properly!” Aidan roared, still laughing, and now even harder.

And then Lee knew what they were talking about and he felt his face blush so furiously it was like it was one fire. He also suddenly remembered the marks on his neck and chest, left by the Captain, which could clearly be seen because his shirt - _the Captain’s shirt_ \- was not buttoned all the way up. 

Lee grabbed the labels of the shirt and began buttoning them up, but he knew he was too late in doing so by the way the other men in the galley began laughing, amazingly, even harder. Dean and Aidan were just about rolling on the floor, and Stephen’s shoulders were shaking like he was made of rubber. Even Martin had to set down his coffee cup and lean his head down onto the counter top.

“I am sorry,” Martin said, standing up straight again. He took several deep breaths through his nose, trying to get himself under control. “I really am. It is none of our business,” And then he began grunting, still trying to fight his laughter. “Even if we all heard everything.” And then he was laughing again.

“Everything?” Lee’s voice sounded as small as he felt.

“Oh, yes, _everything_ ,” Dean began, wiping tears from his eyes. “What did you expect; we were right on deck all night.”

“Those of us in the bunks were aware also,” Stephen stated, having to pull out a chair and sit down.

“You, my young friend,” Martin said, picking up his coffee and taking a sip, still shaking slightly in laughter, “have quite a set of lungs on you.”

All Lee wanted to do was run. Get back into the elevator, go back up to the Captain’s cabin, and hide there. He didn’t know for how long he would have to hide, but he just knew that was what he had to do. But instead, he made himself go to the pantry and get out the things he needed to make breakfast. His whole body was shaking and he kept dropping things as he made his way back and forth, and he was so embarrassed that he couldn’t look any of the men still in the galley, laughing, in the face as he went about his work.

“Oh now, lad, we’re sorry for teasing you,” Stephen began, sounding very sincere. “It is just that, well, the Captain, you see, he doesn’t…get out much, if you will.”

“Get out much?” Martin scoffed. “All of us were starting to think he was a fucking eunuch or something.”

“Yeah,” Aidan piped up. “And now we know he’s not!”

“And that’s a good thing,” Dean added, both he and his brother nodding emphatically, like parrots. 

“Here, why don’t you have a seat and calm down,” Stephen suggested, pulling a chair over.

“Wait!” Martin cried. He ran out of the galley and was gone for a few moments, only to return with…a pillow. He put it down in the seat of the chair, patted it to make sure it was in place, and then waved toward the chair. “There. Now you can sit down.”

Aidan, Dean, and Stephen all burst out laughing again as Lee blushed once again, and began chopping vegetables furiously. 

______________

Richard stood on the deck of the ship, staring out at the sea around him. They were near land so the calls of sea gulls were evident, and the waves crashing furiously against the ship were an indication that a storm was brewing. Dark clouds were on the horizon. Richard hoped it was only just that – a storm – and not a metaphoric prophecy of some sort. 

“Look who is out of his cabin!” Graham’s voice brought Richard out of his reverie. The Captain stood up form where he was leaning on the rail and turned to his old friend. “Needed to get some fresh air, you know, to recuperate?”

Richard, for the briefest of moments, didn’t understand the statement his First Mate had made. But then it dawned on him and it took all his willpower to not react. He had wanted to turn right around and return to his cabin, but he made himself stand where he was. He even managed to smile.

“Something like that,” Richard said, turning back to the sea.

“You made him blush,” Ken said, stepping up onto the deck. “You know, you shouldn’t tease your leader. He is our captain, after all.” Ken didn’t sound very credible. 

“What?” Graham guffawed. “If he didn’t want to be teased, then he should have gagged his cabin boy so that not the entire ship would witness what was going on.”

“At least, now, maybe he won’t be so grumpy,” Ken said. He took the space right next to Richard, leaning down on the rail as well. 

“Oh, let’s hope so.” Graham took the other side, mimicking his elder crew mate. “If it is any of us who needed a good tumble and grind, it is our beloved captain.”

Richard could only imagine the hell the crew was going to put poor Lee through. He really should go and check on the young man. 

“I’m not grumpy,” Richard argued. “I just like spending time to myself.”

“Well, you blew that out of the water last night,” Graham said. He slapped Richard on the back, and rather hard also. 

Ken chuckled, slapping the railing with his hand a few times. “Graham, you really need to think before you speak.”

Richard grinned, unable to help it, and added, “I wasn’t the one who _blew_ anything out of the water.” Graham roared with laughter. Ken, still chuckling, shook his head in amusement. Richard felt himself blush: he couldn’t believe he had just said that out loud.

“I think it wise you go and rescue your…er, _damsel_ from your nephews. They were waiting in the galley for him earlier.”

Richard sighed and went to do just that.

____________

It was amazing how one moment Aidan, Dean, Stephen and even Martin were still laughing and teasing, and then in the next moment, complete silence.

Lee noticed at once, and looked over his shoulder, unsure of what had happened, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Richard standing in the doorway. The look on his face was one that screamed he was not happy at all and his arms crossed over his chest only made him seem more menacing. 

“I hope all of you have enjoyed yourselves, because if you aren’t out of here in 10 seconds, it will be the last fun you ever have.” His tone was nothing short of serious.

Suffice to say, he and Lee were alone in the galley and it hadn’t taken the whole 10 seconds.

Lee let his shoulders drop. They had been clenched up around his neck, the tension in them so astute. He set his knife down on the counter and took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t…I mean I…” Richard’s arms coming around him from behind drove whatever it was he was trying to say out of his mind.

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” Richard whispered in his ear. “If anything, I should be sorry for not rescuing you sooner. What is the chair for?”

“They thought I might need to sit down. Martin brought the pillow.” Now that he said it out loud, Lee had to admit it was kind of funny. Apparently, Richard thought so too. They both had to chuckle at the others’ antics.

“Do you need any help?”

Lee smiled. “Yeah. That would be nice.”

So he and the Captain made breakfast. And since there was no one else in the galley with them, there was no one to see and tease them about standing too close together, touching more often than was needed, and for longer than was required. And if breakfast was still late that morning, then no one suspected it was because the touches became more, or if they did, they wisely didn’t say anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot express how much I appreciate all the kudos, comments, and everyone who is taking the time to read my fic. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
> 
> And to lost_kitty for editing and her input and for just being such a great friend. THANKS SIS!!!!


	17. Storm

After the first day or so, Lee didn’t really mind the teasing. At least, he pretended he didn’t. Truth be told, it bothered him greatly, but he knew that the crew only meant it in jest. Being on board a ship at sea, people tended to get bored, so they latched on to anything to break them out of the monotony, if only for a little while. But even with that knowledge, Lee had his breaking point and it came just two days after the teasing began. 

He was just getting ready to take the Captain’s tray to him. He had been listening to Mark say how he could make him a special pillow if Lee wanted him to since the one Martin had nabbed that morning was not really fit for the comfort one needed when they were _delicate_ in certain areas. This had led to more innuendo about at least letting the Captain eat before his food got cold, and that Lee should be a _lady_ and bite a pillow during he and the Captain’s romps so the rest of the ship could get a good night’s sleep.

When Lee set the tray down on the table with a loud crash, everyone grew silent with features ranging from confused to curious, and even a few (Aidan and Dean) freezing with their forks halfway to their mouths. Lee would have been amused if he had not reached the last straw.

“Okay, fine. I am glad you guys are having such a laugh,” Lee began, and the tone of his voice was a shock even to him. “Go ahead. Enjoy yourselves. Make all the jokes and tease all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that I love him. Your Captain. I love him. With every part of me and everything that I have and am. And you should be happy about that, because he was alone. Even with all of you around him all the time, he was alone, and now he isn’t because there isn’t a force in this world that is going to make me leave him. So please, by all means…” He waved his hand in the air before picking up the tray and leaving the room.

“Did he just say what I think he said?” Adam was looking around at everyone in turn.

“Yeah, I think he did.” Graham leaned back in his chair. 

“Wow!” Aidan breathed. He set his fork down on his plate, food forgotten. “I just thought – “

“That they were just horny.” Dean finished for his brother, talking around a mouth full of food. He wasn’t about to forget about his dinner. It was too good to wait and eat.

“Well, it serves you all right,” Martin stated. He picked up his napkin and put it in his lap. “Teasing that poor young man like you were.”

“Wait a minute!” Stephen said. “You were teasing just as much as we were.”

“Yeah,” Mark stated. “You were the one that took my pillow so he could sit on it.”

And a fight broke out. No food, however, was thrown.

_______________

Lee stomped up on deck. He knew he really shouldn’t have spoken to the crew the way he had, but he had done it and what was done was done. Admitting that he loved the Captain, however true, might not have been the greatest idea in the world. He sighed; stopping on deck to calm himself down and in doing so noticed the heavy black clouds that were coming their way. The wind was picking up, whipping his shirt and hair all about, and there was a heat to it as if the wind were blowing from over a large fire and blowing the warmth to the ship. Waves were crashing, more violently than he had yet experienced while being on board. Also, there was a _menace_ to it all that made him feel nervous and afraid.

When Lee entered the Captain’s cabin, Richard glanced up at him from the book on his desk, and immediately knew something was wrong.

“Lee, what is it?” He stood up quickly. The silverware and dishes were rattling, Lee was shaking so much. Richard took the tray from him and sat it down before pulling Lee into a tight, soothing embrace. “What’s the matter?”

“I guess it is just the storm,” Lee said. His voice was quivering. “I don’t know, but it feels… _evil_ somehow.”

Richard thought back to his thoughts when he had been out on deck before Graham and Ken had joined him. How he had hoped it was just a storm. But since then he had doubted that hope and now he was even more sure that it wasn’t just an act of nature.

“Is there something wrong?” Lee asked. Richard just tightened his hold on him, just for a moment, and then pulled away to hold Lee out at arm’s length. 

“Maybe, maybe not.” Richard admitted. Now, suddenly, he began to feel anxious and it was a feeling that grew every second. “We need to get this ship into the air.”

Lee followed him as Richard left the cabin and made his way on deck. The wind had picked up even more and the clouds were rolling toward them as if full of fury. Lee noticed that while the clouds were dark and ominous, there was no thunder booming nor the flash of lightning. There was no rain coming down from the clouds either.

“Richard, these are not normal storm clouds.” Lee’s eyes were fixed on the storm coming toward them, seeming to gain momentum every moment.

“No,” Richard answered. He ran up to the wheel and hit a button next to it. An alarm issued forth, echoing from down below. “It isn’t a storm.” He was yelling now, the winds so hard that Lee had to grab onto the mast to keep from being blown over. “It’s The Dragon.”

As if on cue, the storm clouds gave way to a ship, the likes of which Lee had never seen before, and as beautiful as it was, he wished he never had seen it.

The ship was monstrous, in more ways than one. It was easily twice the size of the ship they were on, and it was painted blood red, the metal hull shaped like scales. The figure head was, of course, of a dragon, mouth open, large teeth gleaming, but instead of a tongue, a large cannon sat inside. Wings protruded from the side, spanning 200 feet easily. There were four sets of propellers, two on each side, each set one behind the other, spinning furiously. More cannons protruded from the sides, moving about this way and that, able to shoot either forward, straight, or behind. The thing that perplexed Lee was the silence. As large as the ship was and the engines that it would require to keep it in the air, it hardly made any sound at all.

It stopped, hovering in midair, and then the dragon head swiveled around and down, and even from the height the head was at, Lee could see himself reflected in the golden eyes that seemed to blaze as if alive.

Gasps and curses alerted Lee that the crew had arrived on deck. He forced himself to turn away from the dragon’s eyes, shivering in spite of the heat that still blew over the ship on the wind.

“What do we do, Captain?” Graham asked, his gaze like steel. 

“We do the only thing that we can,” Richard yelled. “We dive! Hurry up, men! Get this ship sealed and get us deep. That thing isn’t charged up yet to fire, so we have some time. Pray it is enough.”

All of the crew disappeared below decks again. Richard ran to Lee, gripped his arm, and dragged him down below decks.

“Dive? What does that mean?” Lee asked. Suddenly, he could hear the sounds of metal scraping against metal and the ship began to shutter.

“This ship isn’t just a water and air vessel,” Richard explained as he dragged Lee down deep into the bowels of the ship. “She can also dive under water. I believe the term is ‘submarine’. If we can get fully submerged by the time the Dragon is charged up to fire, we’ll be okay.”

“And then what?” Richard had stopped so fast that Lee ran into him. He stayed as close as he could, however, practically scared out of his wits.

“We are able to move once submerged. There is a cove we can get to where we can hide and figure out what we are going to do next.” Richard turned to him. The lights in the hallway were flickering madly as the ship was transforming. Behind the Captain was a hatch. Richard took Lee’s face in his hands and looked him deep in the eyes. “I am going to keep you safe. I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Lee couldn’t help a tiny smile. Richard returned it, though his eyes were still full of worry, and then he kissed Lee tenderly, briefly, and then turned back and began opening the hatch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Weather, nasty polar weather, and a chest cold and blah blah blah!!
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos and comments. I am way behind on everything!!!
> 
> Thanks lost_kitty!!! You are such a fantastic beta!!!!


	18. Deep Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies once again for the delay!

Beyond the hatch lay what was obviously the controls for the ship once it was submerged. There was another wheel like the one above deck to maneuver the ship. There were also several chairs sitting in front of controls with red and green lights, some of them blinking, and a strange pipe off to one side that curved at the end with what looked like handles that could be positioned down. A couple of benches lined up on either side of the room.

“Lee, go sit down, okay?” Richard said and Lee just nodded, going to a bench and sitting, wanting to stay out of the way.

All the crew was inside the room except for Martin, Peter, Ken, and Graham. Richard took his place behind the wheel, while Aidan, Dean, Adam, and John took seats behind the controls with the lights. James went over to the pipe, while William, Mark, and Stephen came and sat down on the bench Lee was sitting on.

“Don’t worry, lad,” Mark said, giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder. “The Captain knows what he is doing. We’ll be fine.” His smile was reassuring in its sincerity. 

“Engine room, are we ready?” Richard had his hands on the helm.

“Aye, Captain,” Graham’s voice came from seemingly out of nowhere. Lee was confused until William pointed to round objects that were set in each corner of the room at the ceiling level. 

“Speakers,” he stated and then Lee understood.

“Dean, is the ship completely sealed?”

Dean checked the controls in front of him. They were all green. “Aye, Captain. Ship sealed and ready to submerge.” 

Aidan yelled: “Readings show the Dragon is at 65% power and rising.”

“Plenty of time,” Richard stated. “Alright, Martin, flood the holds! Open to maximum!”

“Aye, Captain,” Martin’s voice came through the speakers. Seconds later the ship lurched and began shaking. Lee gripped the bench, his fingers white with the strain. 

It felt as if his stomach was sinking, and then his ears began popping as the ship was obviously submerging. His stomach lurched and Lee closed his eyes, praying that he would not get sick and throw up.

“Don’t worry. It doesn’t last long,” Mark commented, giving Lee another pat, this time on the back. Lee just nodded, his eyes squeezed shut tightly, afraid to open his mouth to speak.

“The Dragon is at 78% power to weapons!” Aidan called out once again. 

“John, how far are we from total submersion?” Richard called.

“We are at 55% submersion, Captain.” John answered.

“Flood tubes are at maximum, Captain!” Ken said over the speakers. 

“Adam, go ahead and open the forward and side observation panels,” Richard ordered.

“Aye, Captain. Observation panels opening.”

“Open your eyes and look at this, Lee!” James yelled at him. “You don’t want to miss this.”

Lee slowly did open his eyes and he turned in his seat as the metal panels began moving downward. At first, he thought that they were all about to die and was waiting for the water to rush in, but then he realized that between him and the crew, and the ocean and metal panels that were steadily lowering, were thick panes of glass. Since the ship was partially submerged, Lee could still see the sky, but not the Dragon ship in the air. He could also see under the water, and as the ship sank lower, much too slow in his opinion, more and more could be seen. Waves lapped against the glass, but Lee could hear nothing but the panels sliding down.

Motion sickness forgotten, Lee found himself fascinated by what was happening and then Aidan called out that the Dragon ship was at 87% power to fire.

“We are at 76% submersion, Captain!” John reported.

“Damn!” Richard swore. “Martin! I am going to go ahead and turn the ship.”

“We are at a safe enough depth.” Martin’s voice sounded different through the speakers.

Richard gripped the wheel and began turning it to the left as fast and hard as he could. The ship lurched again, but began to turn in the direction the Captain was steering it to. The ship continued to submerge and as it turned, the Dragon came into view. Lee pressed his face up against the glass to get a better look. The cannon in the dragon figure head’s mouth was beginning to glow red and orange.

“We are at 90% submersion, Captain.” John said.

“Hull integrity is at maximum. No leaks so far.” Dean reported. 

“97% power to the Dragon ship’s weapons, Captain.” Aidan said and his voice sounded as panicked as Lee felt.

“Come on!” Richard growled. “Ken. I need full power ahead.”

“That’s all she’s got!” Ken returned.

“Uncle, the Dragon is preparing to fire. Locked on to the aft flooding tubes.” Aidan was keeping his cool, but just barely.

“Graham! Prepare to fire. Lock onto that cannon!”

“Will do!” Was Graham’s answer. 

Somewhere in the back of the ship, Lee could hear metal scraping. Mark informed him that it was the cannon rising and being prepared to fire. Only seconds after the sound stopped, the ship once again lurched, and Lee turned back to the window to see a ball of fire hit the side of the dragon figure head. When it did, the head moved sideways due to the impact. The cannon inside the dragon head fired almost instantly after being hit, the fireball hitting the water just off the side of the ship, sending a funnel of water up into the air, but nothing else.

All the crew cheered, even Lee, who sighed with relief. The last thing he saw as the ship went fully underwater was the Dragon ship, the figure head moving, but slowly, back on target, but it was too late.

______________________

“Admiral, they are out of range.”

“Of course they are, you idiot!” The words were delivered with a tone so void of anything resembling emotion that lesser men, including the one who had spoken, were taken aback and quivered with cold fear. “They have dived below the surface. Being out of range is palpable.”

But the Admiral, in spite of his detachment, was smiling. His crew looked back forth between themselves, not understanding why they were not being punished for not disabling the ship, leaving them unable to capture their quarry. But instead of being yelled at and threatened to be beaten to within an inch of their lives, their Admiral was… _smiling_.

“Admiral?” The only one brave enough to speak, to question, was Luke and he wasn’t even with the Navy. He was a mercenary who delivered information and sometimes traveled with them, but the crew considered him nothing more than a useless rogue. None of them said this aloud, however, for their leader relied on the other man quite often and he was as close a friend as the Admiral appeared to have.

“Did you not see, Luke?” The Admiral stated, smiling wickedly, his eyes glittering. “Did you not see what the Dragon eye spied?”

The Admiral went to the control panel, shoving the one manning it roughly aside, and hit a few buttons. On the view screen came up an image of the deck of the other ship before it began its submersion. 

Luke, braver than the others though they were also watching the screen closely, walked over and stood by the Admiral’s side. He focused on the screen, seeing one person he knew was the Captain at the wheel and another person on the deck as well, one he didn’t know.

“Sir, I don’t…” Luke began, shrugging in confusion.

“Him,” the Admiral said pointing to the unknown man on the deck. “Do you not know who he is, Luke?”

“No, Sir,” Luke admitted.

“That, my friend, is the nobleman’s son. The one we were asked to find.”

Realization downed on the mercenary. “And to think you almost destroyed this ship.”

The crew drew back in fear, but their Admiral just smiled wider. “Fate sometimes corrects our oversights.” He shrugged, stepping back from the screen. “Now, they are not only accused of piracy, but they are holding a nobleman’s son against his will. Kidnapping is a much more serious offence. Pity.” He turned from the screen and motioned to his crew. “Get this ship moving. Set a course for the port near Lothlorien.”

“Why there?” Luke asked what the crew dared not.

“Because they will show up there eventually. Either going northwest to see their sponsor, or northeast to see the Captain’s sister. And we will be waiting for them.”


	19. Forsaken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I stated when I updated my other fic, I am so sorry for the delay in updating. Stick with me, people, and I promise I will get my head on straight and update some more.
> 
> Not edited. My beta is in a whirlwind.
> 
> Enjoy!

If it hadn’t been for the clocks, Lee would never have known what time it was or how many days had passed since they had escaped the Dragon and gone underwater. Time seemed to move so much more slowly, so he was surprised it had just been 3 days. James told him that it was because they traveled slower under the water than they did on top of it, or above it, but they had to stay submerged in fear that the Dragon was still looking for them.

So, Lee spent his time either cooking in the galley, reading in the Captain’s cabin, or with the animals. Since most of the ship had been flooded so they could sink below the water’s surface, the area where the animals were kept was safely sealed, only reachable by a ladder in the engine room and a very tight and rather dank hallway. The Captain’s cabin could only be reached via the elevator from the galley. The cabin’s windows allowed Lee to sit and stare out at the indigenous creatures of the sea and various fauna. Most fish he knew, either he had seen them at the docks or read about them in books, but there were a great many that he hadn’t seen or heard of. Every time he looked out the windows, it was as if he was seeing a new creature, something so beautiful or frightening, and he wondered if anyone else knew it existed. 

Then Martin warned him about mermaids and sirens, claiming they were not nice creatures, were actually very mischievous and not to be trusted. He had told Lee that such creatures had the power to make men do incredibly stupid things, like open a hatch that wasn’t supposed to be opened, and such nonsense. Lee had doubted if Martin was being serious, and was just teasing him, but Ken had confirmed the truth of the statements most adamantly and with ample warning to not gaze out into the ocean so much. Lee had then drawn the curtains over the windows, only peering out through a slit in them every so often after Ken’s speech on just how deadly such creatures could be.

Since they had not gotten their supplies at the island, they were running low on a great many things. Sugar, flour, fresh meats, vegetables, and coffee were to the point of rationing. They had to get to a port and soon. Richard announced this over the intercom to the crew. But first, he had said, they were going to stop at Erebor.

Lee had never heard of ‘Erebor’ before and when he asked about it, all he got was a great amount of smiling and reverent sighs. When he questioned Richard, all he said was “home.”

On the morning of the 5th day, Lee was dragged out of a lovely dream. He had been wandering the halls of someplace mysterious but wondrous. There were houses that were part of the walls, some of them high above his head as if suspended in air, carved out of green marble. It was breathtaking and he spent hours running about, gazing at everything he could with approbation.

When he opened his eyes, pushing the bed clothes down off of his face, he was greeted by the site of Richard, having just gotten out of bed, walking around the cabin naked. Lee sat up, pillowing his head on his hand, admiring the view. Richard seemed to be searching for something (and it wasn’t clothes, Lee was happy to discover), going through the drawers of his desk and several ornamental boxes on the shelves, and even digging in the dresser, and the trunk in the corner.

Finally, Lee couldn’t stand it anymore. “What are you looking for?”

Richard sighed, coming back over to the bed, and sitting down, his visage perplexed. Lee scooted closer, and sitting up, began working at the muscles in his lover’s back and shoulders with his hands. The tension there began to dissolve immediately as Richard gave in to the treatment.

“A key,” he answered. His shoulders slumped and he leaned back just a bit more into the caresses. 

“A key to what?” Lee urged, sitting up on his knees behind the other man, and continuing with his ministrations. 

“The back way into Erebor.” Richard turned, sitting sideways on the bed so he could look at Lee. Lee kept one hand rubbing between his shoulders, while the other one clasped the hand that took his. “There are a few supplies there that will see us until we can find a safe port, but…” He looked away and Lee was astonished by the forlorn look on Richard’s face and the sadness in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around the other man, comforting him though he didn’t know what for except that he seemed heartbroken and dejected. “It has been a long time since we have been there and yet the sorrow still feels so new.”

“This Erebor, what is it?”

“It was once our home. Long before now, in the days when we were surrounded by family and friends. Years before Aidan, Dean, and Adam were even born. Now it is nothing but a shell of what it once was, a tomb of memories and happiness.” He turned back to Lee and the look in his eyes, the grief and pain, wrenched at Lee’s heart and he felt tears sting his eyes. His arms tightened, consoling the only way he knew how. “No one outside of us has ever set foot inside, so I hope you will not look unkindly upon her in her desolation.”

“What happened?” Lee did not want to cause more pain so he regretted the question the second he asked it. But Richard just smiled sadly, and cupped Lee’s cheek, the rough pad of his thumb tracing cheekbone. 

“The Dragon happened.”

“The Dragon? You mean the Admiral who…”

Richard nodded. “He was not always like he was now. The man he is today is what Saruman – Christopher – made him. Before that he was…” Richard shook his head, his smile turning sour. “The only consolation is that once Christopher _changed_ him, the Dragon – Benedict he is called now – lost a great amount of his memory in the process. He doesn’t remember where Erebor lies.”

“But –” Lee didn’t understand what any of this meant.

“Shh,” the Captain hushed, his thumb settling on Lee’s lips. “Please. I don’t wish to speak more of it. Not right now. I will explain when we get there, but until then…” He shifted them, moved his body and Lee’s around, until Lee was sitting in his lap. “I don’t want to remember it right now.” His lips found Lee’s, and that movement was a reflection of the pleading his tone had been laced with. Lee felt horrible for asking and swore he would question about it no more. Richard thanked him, twisting them once again until Lee was on his back on the bed. “I have an idea.” Richard said when he detached his mouth from Lee’s for much needed air.

“And what is that?” The Captain’s suddenly playful tone of voice made Lee very happy.

Suddenly, Richard flipped them. Lee let out a squeal of delight and surprise and then found himself sitting atop his lover’s body.

“I like you like this,” Richard said, his hands trailing over hips and ribs, stomach and chest. “Of course, I like you anyway, but this…this is…stimulating.” That last word, issued in an even lower baritone than normal, made Lee’s skin prickle, and caused his body to undulate. Richard gasped, closing his eyes and smiling as his lover’s ass began to methodically grind against his rapidly hardening arousal. “Yeah. There we go.”

“Oh! Do you now?” Lee kept up what he was doing, arching up ever so slightly, and then grinding down, sometimes in just a teasing manner, but sometimes rather vigorously. 

“You are my most delightful torment,” Richard stated breathlessly. He enjoyed the visual experience, as much as the physical and watching Lee move was a thing of beauty. Lithe and full of grace, it was captivating and bewitching to behold. 

“Really? Well, then, in that case, allow me to delightfully torture you some more.”

All Richard could do was lay there as Lee leaned down and kissed him soundly, taking the breath from his lungs, before moving down, trailing kisses here and there as he went, until, quite abruptly, his hardened, leaking manhood was engulfed. Caresses of lips and tongue, the purposeful suction, and just a little bit of grazing teeth, and Richard was moaning loudly, writhing in the ecstasy. And then his lover, affliction deriving from such positive emotions and such a charming almost seemingly ingenuous nature, had the audacity to hum and even laugh while still enclosing his most responsive of body parts with that elegant mouth of his.

And thus Erebor and what had happened there, was driven from his mind, and that was no small thing and he did not complain at all. Thus, being a man of a robust and hearty nature, there was a great many other things his devious lover could do to keep those memories elevated beyond reasoning, and so he did for the better part of the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot bunnies abound! And as if I haven't had enough trouble here lately with all that is going on and trying to keep up with my writing, another plot bunny of a different kind has just started pounding away in my head. Damn Battle of the Five Armies and a certain elf king and a certain dragon-slaying guy!! AAHHHHHHHH!!!
> 
> Thanks to everyone and your patience!


	20. Home

“Captain.” For the word to be spoken by Martin, it was tentative at best, forlorn only if one were optimistic. Richard knew before the Quartermaster spoke another word what those words were going to be: “We are nearing the cove, sir.”

“I’ll be right there,” Richard answered into the intercom. When he released the button, he leaned his head against the wall, sighing deeply. 

The arms that came around him from behind didn’t shock him in the least. The second he felt the other man against him, holding him, he was comforted. 

“Come and sit down for a moment,” Lee urged. He put his chin on Richard’s shoulder. It amazed the Captain how different certain touches and moments were so discernable. Lee was consoling him, and that alone, and Richard knew it without a doubt that was the younger man’s only intent. He couldn’t help but smile as he allowed Lee to lead him over to his chair at his desk. 

“I need to get to the wheel house,” Richard said in way of an attempt at arguing, but he welcomed the diversion. “I have to manually steer the ship. It is a dangerous passage that requires great care to traverse.”

“All the more reason why you should take a moment to gather your thoughts.” Lee began to knead Richard’s shoulders and neck gently but effectively. The older man could not help but slump as he closed his eyes. It had been so long since anyone had taken such care of him and it felt wonderful. 

“What did I do to deserve you?” Richard meant it as a joke, the question, but in his private thoughts he had been trying to come up with a legitimate answer for some time now, and it had been a fruitless endeavor.

Lee just laughed, taking it as it was meant. “You kidnapped me.” Was the answer delivered in mirth. A few moments later, however, once his hands stilled on the Captain’s shoulders, and he leaned forward to rest his chin on Richard’s shoulder, he whispered: “You have traveled the path that led us to one another. That was all you had to do.” And with that, Richard’s conundrum was settled. 

No more than fifteen minutes later, both Richard and Lee entered the wheel house below decks. Most everyone, except for those who where manning the engine room, were present and at their assigned stations, if they had one. Those who didn’t were sitting on the benches by the glass, talking and pointing out at the strange fish they saw.

“Come and sit with us, lad,” Stephen said as he waved Lee over. Mark patted the empty space on the bench between he and Stephen. “This is a bit tricky, even for the Captain.”

“Very tricky.” Spoken by William who Lee could swear he had never heard say a single word until this moment. “Dangerous.” 

Lee nodded as he sat down. As he did, he realized that the ship was moving, but slowing down significantly, and as he looked ahead he saw through the water what looked like a black hole that they were apparently going to go straight into.

“What is that?” He asked as he pointed toward the blackness.

“That is the cave we have to enter in order to get to Erebor,” Mark stated. “Or at least to the hidden cave which leads to the tunnels that will take us to Erebor.”

“The cave is hidden,” Stephen went on. “This is the only way into Erebor now. We were lucky to have found it.” His words, tone, and features were full of sadness, mirroring the looks on William and Mark’s faces as well. Lee glanced around at the other crew members at their stations only to find them as forlorn as the three men sitting with him and, of course, Richard. Coming home should be a happy time to look forward to, but whatever had happened had made this a blight on their hearts and souls. Lee could not help but think that his homecoming would be just as heartbreaking as theirs was now.

With the ship surfaced halfway, Richard guided it into a tunnel that began just barely big enough to accommodate the width and height of the vessel. Lee held his breath the entire time, earning a few chuckles from his shipmates and a few “Breathe, lad”’s as they slowly made their way. It seemed to take forever, but Richard was most formidable at steering the long corridor and soon the tunnel opened up into a very large cavern, complete with a dock and storage house.

“Martin, bring the ship fully to the surface and get the mast extended once again. I want everything checked and what needs to be repaired, repaired.” Richard told the Quartermaster in the engine room. Martin sounded his agreement and the ship began to rise slowly. 

If the mood hadn’t been somber before, he surely became so once the ship was fully raised and the cavern that lay beyond the dock was fully in view. Everyone sat for a few moments, just staring in silence. Lee could feel their sorrow and reluctance and it made his heart ache for them all.

Finally Richard cleared his throat, brushing away the deep emotion that made his eyes shine with unshed tears, and everyone else seemed to let out the breaths they had been holding, and slowly begin leaving their seats and heading out of the wheel room. Richard approached Lee, his smile sad, but a smile nonetheless. 

“Are you ready?” He asked. Lee was stunned by the question considering he was not the one who was about to face what Richard and the rest of the crew were: the remnants of a home they clearly loved and missed.

“I should be the one asking you that question,” Lee answered in a soft tone.

Richard’s smile, though still full of grief, widened slightly. He gathered the younger man up in his arms, briefly, his lips brushing against Lee’s temple before pulling away. “Come on. You are about to be one of the few people who can say they have gazed upon the halls of Erebor.”

“If coming here is so painful, then why come at all?” Lee followed Richard from the room. He wanted to see the place that Richard had come from, but the halls were empty and the memory of happier times scarred by pain and loss. Lee hated seeing the shadow in the Captain’s eyes and would do anything to erase it if he could.

“We have supplies stored here and, like I said, the Dragon has no memory of this place. We will be safe here until we can figure out what to do next.”

“Are you sure?” At Lee’s question, Richard stopped and looked at him in confusion. “Are you sure the Dragon does not remember this place or how to get here?”

Richard seemed to think on it for a moment then nodded. “Of course. If he did remember then he would have come back here years ago. The wealth of my people remains here. He would not leave it unguarded.”

Lee still had his doubts. There was a nagging thought in the back of his mind and he wanted to drag Richard to a stop and convince him that this was not a good idea. 

And he tried. Oh, how he tried to convince Richard that they should restock the ship and then leave as quickly as possible. But it seemed that the closer they got to the ship’s deck, the more determined Richard was to get inside Erebor. It was as if he was being pulled forward by something powerful and refused to listen to reason. When they did make it to the deck, Lee gave one last valiant effort. He grabbed Richard’s arm, forcing him to come to a stop, and he opened his mouth to voice his concerns once more. But when Richard turned to look at him, his words froze in his throat. The older man’s steel blue eyes glinted with anger, cold as iron, and there was a distance in them that Lee had never seen before. Not only that, but also a determination, a _hunger_ that spoke of him having to do this no matter the danger that it posed to him or his crew.

The look was so intense and so full of warning, that Lee instantly pulled his hand away and took a step back from the Captain. Without a word to him, Richard turned away and began barking orders to his crew, who were all on deck.

“Get the plank down, quickly!” He ordered. “We will load the supplies onto the ship before we go into Erebor.”

Lee was thankful when Ken walked over, his face set in a grim expression. “Are you sure this is wise?” His words were spoken in a low voice, but Lee was still close enough to hear them. “We should go to Ian. He said that if we were ever in trouble, that we should go to him first. We should –“

“The last time I checked, _I_ was captain of this ship. Not Ian and not you either.” Richard practically snapped at the older man. “We don’t have the supplies to make it to Ian and we can’t just go into any port and stock up.”

“Then let us restock and leave!” Ken retorted. “There is no reason for us to go into Erebor. There is nothing there for us. Not anymore.”

“How can you say that?” Richard’s voice was deep with anger. “That is our home!”

“No, it isn’t!” Ken’s voice rose and the rest of the crew stopped to watch what was unfolding between him and their captain. “This ship is our home! That should be your top priority now, not trying to regain something that is lost to us.”

Richard took one-step closer to where he was just inches from the older man. He had to lean down to look him in the eye and his every move was near menacing. “It is not lost to us. If you do not want to go, then stay here and mind the ship, but the rest of us are going into Erebor.”

The Captain strode off, and with one look from him, the rest of the crew turned back to their tasks with fervor. All except Graham who shared a look with Ken, shook his head, and then went about his appointed task, albeit more slowly than everyone else. Ken sighed deeply, before turning his gaze to Lee.

“Don’t pay any attention to him, lad,” he said as he placed a gentle hand on Lee’s arm, giving it a reassuring pat. “He is stubborn beyond the point of all reason, sometimes. Though, “ he turned a concerned eye to the captain, “I don’t know what has brought this on all of the sudden. We have come here many times to restock when the need has arisen over the years, but never has he been so determined to enter the halls of our former home.” He was silent for a moment, and then his eyes once again rested on Lee. “Do me a favor, lad: keep an eye on him. Don’t let him out of your sight.”

Lee nodded. “I won’t. I promise.”

Ken patted his arm again and went to join the others. All of them seemed nervous. Even Martin who had his hand in his vest pocket fidgeting with something he carried in there. He saw Lee was watching him, and when he did, he cleared his throat, gave a curt nod to Lee, and patted his pocket before yelling at Aidan and Dean to get a move on.

Lee was liking this less and less and the feeling that something was not right, that something bad was going to happen, was boiling in the pit of his stomach, and making him feel ill. With dread clenching at his chest, he followed the crew off the ship, his eyes locked solely on Richard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone. I appreciate you guys sticking with me. Still no word from my editor since the day before she went to HOBBITCON! I will hear from her soon, I am sure. She is just a little scatter-brained kitty.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why I put Calpernia in two fics, but she is useful to the plot and fun to write. Maybe if Lee wasn't so damn good at playing her. Seriously! How did he do that?
> 
> Thanks of course to my beta and sister, lost_kitty for not only editing and inspiration but for putting up with me.
> 
> This is going to be kinda long. And I am just going to go crazy with it. I have been watching old Sinbad movies so there will be monsters!!
> 
> Enjoy!!


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